Adbertos
by Tonga
Summary: “Something is not right about you,“ she said softly, staring at him.... He looked up at her, the scrutiny of her gaze making his skin tingle. - A Kratos/Anna fic - Anna has escaped from the ranch, but how far is she willing to follow Kratos?
1. Chapter One: Escape

**A/N: **This will be your typical Anna story. It is my goal to start with her escape from the ranch in this chapter and end sometime after her death. We will see how this plays out. I will admit up front that I am _very_ new to ToS and my biggest goal is keeping my inaccuracies to a minimum. I hope I have succeeded with this, but I'm sure you will let me know. ;-) I'm a complete sucker for accuracy and detail, so expect that - no, demand that - from me. Crits will not hurt my feelings, I promise.

A quick note on the title: Adbertos. This is a Gaulish word meaning 'sacrifice'. I have a love of using old and sometimes forgotten words for titles. You are likely to see a few more of these as the story progresses.

It has been quite a while since I have submitted _anything_ here, so it is absolutely hilarious to me that my first submission in eons would be _this_. I'd like to thank my brother (leonhart423) for giving me this cursed disease. A disease I find myself strangely happy to have acquired. C'est la vie!

And the standard disclaimer: I own nothing, I have nothing, I do nothing out of disrespect!

* * *

There is a saying that the most serene surroundings often hide the most disconcerting, hideous secrets. And sometimes those secrets aren't so… secret.

In the midst of the sun-soaked forest, under the leafy emerald trees was a clearing and in this clearing was a place that the surrounding villages knew to be a place of torture and death for any unfortunate enough to be taken from their home. Those who had built the place called it a ranch, though the name hardly did the place justice. The term ranch normally brought to mind a warm home filled with hardworking, honest people; not the steely, cold gray structure that seemed to leech any promise of peace or happiness from the very air. To view it sent shivers down the spines of those being brought up to the gates, knowing that once they entered this compound they would never again leave.

It was from within this place that a pair of brown eyes peered out, watching as the scouts returned from their mission with more prisoners in tow. Human prisoners judged to be inferior in comparison to their half-elfin captors. Glancing over her shoulder to be sure she hadn't been caught by the guard overseeing the laborers the girl continued to stare as the newest people were admitted into the compound.

"Anna."

Whipping her head around the brown eyes came to rest on a girl smaller than herself, whose eyes were wide with fear. She surely wasn't any older than ten and had only been at the ranch for a couple of weeks but already she knew the dangers of being caught by the guards. These Desians viewed their human prisoners as disposable property and would not think twice for doling out punishment for the smallest infraction.

"Please, the guard will see you."

Anna glanced at the guard once more before replying, "It's fine, he's not looking. But if we keep whispering it is sure to catch his attention."

The small child scurried back to her corner, staring at the large stone in front of her with tears in her eyes. Anna frowned, she hated making the child feel any more pain than they were forced to suffer at the hands of their captors, but without her discouragement the two would have no doubt been beaten for speaking, or looking at one another, or standing too close together. The Desians didn't need a sound reason for flogging a human.

Turning her eyes back to the new captives she scanned them looking for any sign of strength, of determination. For several weeks now she had slowly been secretly plotting, watching her fellow captives and realizing for her plans to succeed she would have to find her muscle elsewhere. Those held at the ranch were far too broken and weak to be of any real assistance to her, but if she could find one or two others to help her with her plans to escape….

Sadly it looked as if the new group was comprised of very young children and a few old women. There was no warrior here, no savior, no knight in shining armor. Filled with bitter disappointment that threatened to bring her to tears Anna turned back to her stone, attacking it with the force of her frustration.

It was unfair! Why were countless human lives sacrificed in this place? Where was justice? For longer than she cared to remember she watched as human beings were paraded through the gates, prodded like cattle and locked in tiny, overcrowded cells. Many nights fighting broke out between the captives over the small amount of food thrown in the cells - the only thing they ever received to eat.

Anna had long given up more than half her portion to the children of the ranch, hoping that the small bit she was able to give them would keep them strong enough to fight. It was a fruitless endeavor however; most children died within the first month they were brought here.

Resting for a moment she stared at her hand, at the small stone that had been embedded there within moments of her arrival at the ranch. If she hadn't been so sure that this small gem was the cause of all the problems she and the others were facing Anna would have thought it pretty. It did shine nicely in the dappled sunlight, its color the deepest blue of the lake. She made a fist, pounding it against the stone, biting her lip at the reverberations that rippled down her arm.

That was when she noticed that the captives had been led further into the compound, the guard at the gate accompanying them and leaving the gate unguarded. She was shocked only for an instant, then she quickly sprang into action. Kneeling down she began to crawl, keeping a wary eye on the guard stationed nearby who hadn't taken notice of the new arrivals - or of the fact that his comrade had abandoned his post.

His sloppiness was her salvation.

Staying low to the ground Anna scurried back between the rocks, slowly making her way towards the gate. She was a few feet along when she heard a sound behind her; heart in her throat she looked back, seeing the small girl following her. With a tight smile Anna nodded her acceptance, knowing that she couldn't deny the child the opportunity of freedom. She motioned for the girl to stay down and keep silent, receiving a curt nod in reply.

Suddenly the escape attempt felt more dangerous, knowing that it wasn't just her life in jeopardy now, but the child's too. There was little doubt in her mind that the child would be beat to death if they were caught. Anna would surely receive the same beating, but her body would be better able to handle the trauma.

This new worry weighing down on her Anna continued on, ever so slowly. She could not afford a rock to tumble or a pebble to clack. There could only be complete silence if they were to remain undetected. She knew from experience that the guards seldom paid any mind to their quarries. Where would they go in this heavily guarded place? The thought of escape was ludicrous. This was what she gambled on; the arrogance of these half-elves.

Upon reaching the gate Anna wanted to cry with relief - they hadn't been spotted! But it was too early to rejoice, the most dangerous part of their journey stretched before them. Keeping to the limited shadows Anna motioned for the child to follow her, her eyes roaming the space between the gate, the buildings and the nearest guards. No one had noticed… yet. Now they would have to step out into the light and run past the gate. And keep running until they could be sure there was no one following them.

Taking a deep breath she crouched down next to the child, whispering softly and praying to Martel that she wouldn't be heard. "We will have to run now, and fast. We keep going until I stay to stop."

The girl nodded, her eyes determined.

Anna recognized the spark of defiance, "What is your name?"

The girl mouthed her response, "Maribelle."

Anna nodded, taking one last look at the nearest guard before whispering her command. "Now."

They stole across the few feet separating them from the gate silently, Anna tensed for the shout that never came from the guard. It wasn't until they made the cover of the trees outside that she allowed herself to even slow down, then stop. Maribelle followed behind her, silent as a shadow. They were out, free… and no one had raised the alarm. An overwhelming sensation began to fill Anna; the tension dissolving to be replaced with giddiness. Before she realized what she was doing Anna found herself giggling hysterically.

She had made it out! And Maribelle too! The girl was watching her nervously now, looking back towards the compound warily and further into the dense forest impatiently. Forcing down her hysterics Anna took charge once more.

"Right, we should get further in. We're too close to the ranch here, if they send a search party they'd trip right over us."

"We should head for the town," Maribelle suggested. "Maybe we could hide there."

Anna shook her head. "No good, that will be the first place they'll look for us. We'd be better off hiding in the forest."

* * *

She should have known that they would be found. In her heart she had known all along. Her initial reaction to keep Maribelle from following her had been right. If she'd listened to her gut then the child wouldn't be dead now. She had always known this wouldn't end well.

_The two had walked along at a leisurely pace enjoying their newfound freedom. The sun had slipped between the leafy canopy above, warming their skin and adding to the tranquility._

_"So, do you know where you were taken from?" Anna had asked the child._

_Maribelle had shaken her head, "My family were wanderers. We had a small caravan and traveled all around. I'm not sure where they are now, or if they were captured or killed."_

_Anna's brow furrowed, "Will you look for them?"_

_The child shrugged. "Maybe. It would be best to wait for them to find me though. If I stay in one place they are sure to cross my path."_

_"Yes," Anna agreed. "But find a village away from this place; far away where they can't find you. It is dangerous escaping like we did; I shouldn't have let you follow me. Now you will have to hide the rest of your life."_

_Maribelle looked up at her curiously. "But because you took me with you I will have a life to live now. You have always been kind to me and the others, Anna. Some of the older ones say that you only give us your food because you know they won't kill you, but that's not true is it?"_

_"What do you mean?" Anna frowned._

_"You are kind, right? You aren't giving away your food and doing all those nice things because you know you're protected, are you?"_

_Anna's frown deepened. "Are you saying that the Desians treat me different? I am beaten just like the rest of you. I am forced to slave in the yard, am deprived of any sort of liberty or rest. I have the same gem on my skin that the rest of you do."_

_"Yes, but you are different to them," Maribelle insisted. "But that isn't what I wanted to know; why do you give us your food? I have always said it is because you're a good person, but the others told me I was wrong. They say that you only act nice because you know the Desians won't let you die. That you give us your food to make yourself feel better, because you know they don't care about us like they do you?"_

_"Why would they care more about me?" Anna asked, puzzled. "I only give you and the others my food because you are so young. You need the food more than I do, and I keep enough for myself."_

_Maribelle shook her head. "You are special to them Anna." Anna stared at the child, baffled. "They let you get by with more than the rest of us. They give you special treatment."_

It had made no sense to Anna then and it certainly didn't make any more sense now when the search party was breathing down her neck. She stumbled over tree roots obscured by the darkness of the night. The searchers were close, she could hear them clearly, their shouts were impossible to ignore.

Hands in front on her she continued on, crashing down a steep slope through scrubby undergrowth before plunging blindly into the icy cold waters of a stream. Biting back her cry she struggled through the swift moving water to the opposite bank, grabbing what she hoped was a limb and hauling herself out, continuing on and praying not to stumble into the Desians giving chase.

She wanted to cry as she ran, and was fairly sure the moisture on her face was more than just water from the stream. The peace that had followed their escape had lasted longer than Anna had dared to hope and she sorely grieved its loss.

_Wandering through the trees had brought the two to a stream around midday. Both had drank greedily from the stream then sat back famished._

_"You know, if we could figure out how to sharpen a couple of limbs I'd bet we could spear a few fish," Anna had lazily suggested, looking up into the trees._

_Maribelle had taken the suggestion seriously, hunting among the rocky bank of the water until she had found a suitable stone; flat and sharp as any knife. Anna had carefully broken two limbs from the tree and set to work trimming each one to a point. Before long both were up to their knees in the stream, splashing and laughing as they tried to spear the fish that darted around them. They had been fairly successful, climbing back onto dry ground where Anna had lit a small fire to roast their catch. Thinking back on it this was likely where she had made her mistake._

_She should have known better than to light a fire._

Gasping as she tried to catch her breath Anna fought her way uphill through brush that tangled and tore at the hem of her dress. She pulled free only to be caught by another snare. Twisting and pulling she made it to the top of the hill and looked back. Her path was excruciatingly clear and there was no time to hide it. She could hear them getting closer now and she vaguely wandered which direction she was headed. In the dark everything was so confusing and now she was completely disoriented.

Picking a direction she started running again, only to trip over a stone and fall to her knees. _Stupid!_ she thought to herself. She had done nothing but make mistake after mistake and now she was going to pay for them, quite possibly with her life. She should have left the forest immediately. If she had been smart she would have found a boat and put Maribelle on it. She shouldn't have stayed here, shouldn't have insisted they would be safer in the forest, shouldn't have decided to stay the night in unfamiliar territory so close to their enemies.

_"We'll stay here for the night," Anna said, looking around the small clearing. "We've got a fire so we should stay plenty warm. You can sleep when you like, I'll keep watch."_

Of course Maribelle immediately fell asleep, the child probably hadn't had a proper night's rest in eons. Nor had Anna. It wasn't any surprise that as the fire died down and the forest darkened that her eyelids had drooped, closing in exhaustion.

She couldn't be sure what had roused her. Maybe she had heard the Desians before they came upon them, or perhaps she had startled into wakefulness in shock from falling asleep in the first place. Whichever reason it was it was still to late.

_"You there!"_

_Anna had frozen, knowing she had been spotted. Her eyes instinctively sought out Maribelle, who was awake now. The child ducked beneath a bush, effectively hiding herself from the Desians._

_"There were two of you, where is your little friend?"_

_Anna remained silent, glaring stubbornly up at the guard who leveled his spear at her._

_"Speak, inferior being, where is the other who you took with you?"_

_"Here sir!" another of the guard called, pulling Maribelle out and prodding her forward. "Hiding, the nasty little worm."_

_Maribelle clutched at Anna's dress, her eyes filled with horror._

_"Very sweet," the guard chuckled darkly. "Risking your life for an infant wasn't very wise. Kvar has been exceedingly beneficent and has promised that your life would be spared if you agree to come with us."_

_"Never," Anna spat. "I will not go back."_

_" Oh, you will go back, one way or the other. The choice is yours ultimately, I would suggest you choose wisely." _

_With a signal Anna didn't manage to catch the guard instructed his two companions to take Maribelle. The child cried out in pain and fear; Anna lunged for her, trying to pull her back, but she was not strong enough._

_The Desian looked down at the child thoughtfully. "Kvar has said that the life of this inferior being is not of any value to him any longer. But since you seem to find some value here perhaps we can come to an agreement."_

_"No Anna, don't listen. It's all lies!"_

_Before Anna could utter a word the guard struck out, sending the child flying into the nearest tree. She lay crumpled at the base of the trunk, moaning softly. The guard crossed to her, pulling her up by her hair and looking questioningly at Anna._

_"What is her life worth to you?"_

_"What do you want?"_

_"You will come with us."_

_Anna swallowed hard, "And you'll let her go?"_

_He laughed, "Not hardly. We will take her back with us. Kvar might spare her miserable life if you cooperate with him."_

_"Only if you free her, then I will come with you."_

_"…Anna…"_

_The guard grimaced, glaring at the child and shaking her limp body. "You will not make ultimatums here! Either you agree to come with us or we kill this maggot and drag you back!"_

_"…Run…"_

_Anna stared at the child, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing. The guard looked at Maribelle furiously._

_"You! You will keep silent - now!"_

_Maribelle lifted her head slowly, looking the guard in the eye. "You no longer have power over me. I am free!"_

_His face purple with rage the guard struck her again, this time with the spear he held in his other hand. The anguished cry that escaped the girl's body freed Anna from the trance she seemed to be under. The other guards were watching their leader now, their faces obscured by their helmets. It did not take Anna long to take advantage of Maribelle's sacrifice._

_She ran._

Anna's lungs burned with the strain of simply breathing as she continued running blindly, directionless. Her legs ached with the strain and she was sure she was going to pass out any moment. She only hoped she could find someplace to hide before she did.

There was a sheer wall of solid rock ahead of her that looked vaguely familiar. It was with a shock that she realized the Desian guards had successfully herded her back towards the ranch. Realization of this slowed her down and she began walking towards the prison she was being shepherded towards.

She couldn't win now. Her attempt to escape was a fruitless endeavor that had gone horribly wrong. She had taken an innocent child with her, and that child had died thanks to Anna's mistakes. She couldn't even honor Maribelle's sacrifice by escaping herself. No, she had been chased all through the forest and now would be drug, exhausted, back through the gates of the ranch.

And the guard had said that her life would be spared. Maribelle had been right; she was important for some reason. Too important to kill. This gave her pause; to live with the consequences of her actions seemed almost unbearable. Forced back into slavery, knowing that she was responsible for Maribelle's death. It was too much, yet if her life were so important to them….

She could fight them. She would either gain her freedom by beating them, or she would force them to end her life. Either way she would win.

She looked around for a weapon, wishing she had one of the crude spears she had used to fish with. Her choices here were limited to a few small rocks and a sturdy looking stick. They would have to do. Anna knew very little about fighting, but it seemed a good idea to put her back to the rock wall. The stones went into the pocket of her shabby dress while she took a two handed grip on the stick and waited. She didn't have to wait long.

It seemed that the number of guards had increased as they got nearer to the ranch. Anna got lucky with the first one, surprising him before he could make the smallest sound. She cracked the stick down on his uncovered head, laying him out cold. Part of her regretted the attack, not wanting to cause pain to anyone, but she knew she couldn't think that way now. Her life, her freedom was on the line.

They kept swarming out from the forest and Anna began to wonder if every Desian had left the ranch to come and search for her. She could feel the physical and mental exhaustion beginning to creep back, her adrenaline rush had long run out. She couldn't keep this up forever, and the way things were looking the guards would simply wait for her to collapse then drag her back to her cell.

With a last anguished rush she lunged out, striking blows with her stick and leaving her back exposed. That was all it took. They closed in behind her, surrounding her, their weapons raised. Anna stood, her crude weapon held ready, breathing raggedly. There was a pause then, as if both sides were waiting. Anna glared at the Desians and they stared back at her, unmoved.

And then chaos erupted.

Anna couldn't be sure where this new warrior came from, or even whose side he was fighting on. She stared at him, dumbstruck, as he slashed his way through several Desians towards her. His eyes met hers for a brief moment and then he shoved her aside, back towards the rock wall, where Anna stayed, bewildered. At least he wasn't trying to kill her, that had to be a good sign.

As she stared the man continued his attack, driving the Desians off completely. He stood watching them retreat for a moment before slowly turning to face her. She could do nothing but stare, completely astonished at how suddenly the tide had turned in her favor, unsure of the motivations of this man who had rescued her.

If she were so valuable to the Desians did that mean that she could be valuable to others as well? Was that this man's motivation? To capture her himself, for his own ends?

Questions ran through her head with no answers and abruptly her exhaustion caught up with her. She had barely registered the fact that her legs could no longer carry the burden of holding her up when she felt her eyes roll into the back of her head and fell into blissful oblivion.

* * *

**Endnote:** Please remember to review! Constructive reviews are always helpful and may persuade me to keep going... though I do not think I'm going to need that persuasion for some time yet!


	2. Chapter Two: Trust

**A/N:** Sorry it's taken a bit to get this up. Between my computer dying on me and work-related issues I've had my hands full. But never fear, I've already got chapter three under way and started a bit of an AU to follow this piece! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to finish. *hopes*

As before, I own nothing.

* * *

It hadn't taken long to carry the unconscious girl away from the ranch to the relatively hidden place the man had set up camp. As he entered the clearing his traveling companion looked up curiously, shaking his head as if in disapproval.

"I know Noishe," the man said quietly. "But I couldn't leave her there. Someone would have found her and taken her back to the ranch."

Noishe stood up, shaking out his odd cream and teal fur and ventured closer to inspect this new person. The creature strongly favored a very large canine with oversized ears, however there was much more to Noishe than his peculiar appearance.

The man ignored his strange companion for the moment, carrying the girl closer to the fire. He had noticed while carrying her that she was soaked; as thin as she was it wouldn't take much for the dampness to make her ill. He laid her down as close as he dared to the flames, Noishe determinedly curled up next to her, allowing the girl's head to rest against his side. The muttered 'thanks' from his friend set the creature's tail to beating against the ground.

Sitting back the man studied the girl before him. He was puzzled as to why the Desians attacking her had not simply killed her. In the past the half-elves who controlled the ranches had not hesitated to make examples of those who had dared to defy them. There were plenty of humans, a few lives taken here and there to make the others fear them did not affect their plans. Yet it had appeared to him that they were trying to take her alive; but for what purpose?

She seemed to be an ordinary human girl, no older than twenty surely. Her looks were pleasant and she had probably been quite pretty before she had experienced the sufferings of a slave. Now her face was riddled with cuts, the exposed skin of her arms and hands scratched and bruised. Her hair was a short length, unkempt, full of leaves and debris from the forest. The color was hard to determine in the weak light, some shade of brown perhaps.

Her eyes were closed for the moment but the man vividly remembered meeting the chocolate-colored orbs. He hadn't been able to place the expression in them; there had been fear, but also something else. Not finding anything extraordinary on the surface he decided to make a closer inspection. Crouching forward he brushed her hair back, startling Noishe, who raised his head.

"What is it about her that's so important to them?" he asked the creature, receiving a snort of indifference in reply. He continued his examination, muttering incantations to heal the small abrasions and pausing as he came to her right hand. There, embedded in the skin, was a small, dark blue gem; one he recognized immediately. "So that must be it then. But still, why her? They have plenty of others…."

The fact that the girl had this gem did not surprise the man in the least. He had presumed that she had come from the ranch; it was practically a given with all the Desians tracking her down. The only humans from the ranch who were free of these gems were those who had only just arrived; by the look of it this gem had been embedded for quite some time.

There was something special about it then, and if it was special to Kvar then it was special to others too….

Pondering this he stood up, pacing away towards the fringe of the clearing and settling at the base of a tree where he could keep watch over the campsite. It wouldn't do for anyone to stumble across him right now, not that he thought there was much of a chance of that happening.

Noishe settled back down, lying his head on his paws and closing his eyes. Within moments he had joined the girl in slumber. Shaking his head in concession the man settled in for what looked to be a very long night.

* * *

The first thing Anna was aware of was the warmth. At the ranch she had seldom known the sensation, everything was cold and damp, so the warmth was startling. Then she remembered her last moments of consciousness and bolted awake.

She sat up too quickly, instantly regretting the movement as the world swam before her eyes. Reaching out to steady herself her hand brushed something soft and furry, causing her to yelp in alarm. She turned to look, backpedaling as she saw what looked like an enormous dog, far larger than any she had ever heard of.

"Calm down," a quiet voice said behind her. "He won't hurt you."

Whipping her head around brought on another wave of vertigo but she fought the imbalance better this time, focusing her eyes on the speaker. Her eyes widened in recognition, a question bursting from her impulsively, "Who are you?"

The firelight created odd patches of light and shadow, distorting her vision and making it harder to read his intent. His eyes seemed impassive and his face betrayed no sign of emotion; Anna studied him a moment as she waited for his response. He moved his head fractionally, his hair falling further into his eyes, remaining irritatingly silent.

Anna voiced her query again. "Are you not going to tell me who you are?"

"Who I am is not as important as who you are, and why you were being attacked."

Anna stared at him, somewhat surprised at this. "I escaped from the ranch. They were trying to make me go back."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you know why?"

She shook her head. "No, and why would I tell you if I did? You haven't given me any reason to. I don't know who you are or where you come from. I don't understand why you helped me."

He met her gaze levelly. "Perhaps you should rest."

Anna stared incredulously at him. Rest? How was she supposed to rest? She didn't know who he was, she didn't know if she was safe or if she could trust him. For the moment she did not seem to have many options. He had chased away the Desians that had been after her so she knew she couldn't fight him. Then there was the enormous dog she was sure would find her even if she managed to get away. And even if she did, by some miracle, elude this stranger she had no inkling as to where she was anymore.

"Are you going to take me back to them?" she asked softly, afraid of the answer.

"I have no intention of giving you to the Desians."

She studied him for a moment, "Do you swear it?"

"And what would you have me swear an oath upon?"

"Martel," Anna replied without hesitation. Even the Desians seemed to hold her in reverence, surely this man would too. "Swear it to the Goddess."

He stared at her, some strange sentiment in his eyes. She looked away from his face, the intensity of his gaze too much for her to bear.

"I promise you, in Martel's name, that I will not forsake you. As long as you are in my company you will be perfectly safe."

She looked up then, seeing the assurance in his eyes. He held her gaze for a moment before continuing. "You should rest. We should not stay here long and you will not make it far in your current condition. Rest."

She felt herself nodding as she settled back down, still gazing at him across the fire. The warmth of the flames soothed her and she found that she was far more exhausted than she had thought. Stifling a yawn she decided that she would trust this stranger. There had been something in his eyes when she had asked him to swear to Martel; something that assured her that she could trust him. Closing her eyes she gave voice to this trust, muttering her submission.

"My name is Anna."

There was a moment of silence, then the smallest sigh.

"I am Kratos."

* * *

The sun had just began lighting the world with its soft glow when Anna felt herself being shaken awake. She was desperately tired and tried to ignore whoever was disturbing her rest, but to no avail.

"Anna, you must get up, now."

That voice; she opened her eyes.

The fire was out now, the strange dog no longer beside her. Instead the man was kneeling next to her, his gaze focused out into the forest around them. He glanced down, seeing her awake he pulled her into a sitting position.

"Someone is coming this way," he explained, pulling her on her feet. "We need to hide you."

"Can't we run?" Anna asked, remembering Maribelle's failed attempt to hide.

He paused, looking at her. "You will be fine if you do as I say." He pulled her across the clearing towards the trees. "This should do."

Before she completely understood what he meant he had wrapped his hands around her waist and hoisted her up towards the low branches of the tree. Anna froze, unconsciously clutching at him in panic. "No!"

"You need to climb up in the tree Anna. You will be safe there."

She shook her head frantically, "I can't!"

He lowered her slowly to the ground and disentangled her fingers from where she still clutched at his hair. "We don't have time for this, you will be fine up there, but you need to get in the tree. Now."

She shook her head, eyes wide with fear as she stared at him.

"Are you… scared of trees?"

"Heights," Anna corrected, looking down.

"I see."

Without warning he had picked her up again and climbed up into the branches of the tree. Anna bit back her cry, just managing to remember the unknown danger heading in their direction. She closed her eyes, opening them only as she felt herself sat down. She quickly closed them again. It seemed that she was halfway up the tree, seated on a sturdy branch with her back to the trunk.

"Be still and don't make a sound."

With those words and a brief rush of movement Kratos was gone. Anna's heart beat wildly in her chest and she struggled to calm herself. She tried to convince herself that she was safe, opening her eyes slightly and staring into the leafy boughs of the tree. If she glanced down to the left she could see Kratos at the base of the tree, apparently at ease. His sword lay close at hand and the dog was beside him, looking off into the trees on the opposite side of the clearing.

Anna focused on the pair beneath her, not daring to move her eyes away. It was only a moment before a soft growl came from the dog and the sounds of footsteps came into the camp.

"Sir-!"

The voice sounded hesitant, surprised. Anna frowned, it was as if the speaker knew Kratos.

"I apologize for disturbing you!"

"And for what purpose have you disturbed me?" Kratos asked, his voice harsh and cutting.

Anna could sense the hesitation behind the speaker's next words. "We are looking for a girl who escaped from the ranch. She stole a valuable object from General Kvar."

Definitely a Desian, Anna thought. She wondered how many there were. Beneath her Kratos stood up, walking away from the base of the tree and out of Anna's sight. She swallowed as she gazed at the empty patch of dirt.

"And what has been stolen?" he asked casually. "Perhaps I could offer the General my assistance in retrieving this item."

"Sir, it would be much appreciated!" the Desian replied, sounding relieved. "The girl that escaped is experiment A012, part of the General's Angelus project."

There was a sharp intake of breath somewhere below her. Anna frowned, her brow furrowing as she tried to make sense of the Desian's words. Angelus project?

"Very well," Kratos' voice echoed up to her. "I will search for this human myself and will report to the General when I have found her. You may relay the message to him."

"Yes sir!"

Footsteps scuffled off and Anna found herself breathing again. She closed her eyes in thought, puzzled over this new knowledge and worried about the exchange she had overheard. The Desian had known Kratos; what did this mean? And Kratos had promised them his assistance in locating Anna - why? It was true that he hadn't given her away immediately, but would he now take her back to Kvar? Could she really trust him?

"It's safe; you can come down."

Anna clung to her branch, eyes wide at the thought of climbing down from her perch. After a brief pause, and what suspiciously sounded like a chuckle, the tree started swaying. Anna tensed, fingers digging against the bark of the tree for a better grip. The movement of the tree was nauseating so she closed her eyes tightly, biting her lip.

"You did well," a voice said in her ear a moment later. "They did not even suspect you were here."

Anna stared beseechingly at him, "Please, get me down."

* * *

Anna had hardly set foot on the ground when Kratos began leading the way out of the clearing and away from the campsite. Anna hurried to catch up to him, her mind bursting with questions. She decided to start with one she thought would be unthreatening.

"Where did your dog go?"

"Noishe will catch back up with us," he answered, not looking back.

So far, so good, she thought. He hadn't ignored her question so she thought she would try another.

"Where are we going?"

"Away from here."

"Did that Desian know you?"

Silence answered her query.

"It seemed to me that he knew who you are," Anna continued softly, hoping that she was not angering him.

"I did not know him personally," Kratos answered after a pause. "He knew of me. I've… worked with them."

"You've worked with them?" Anna repeated, alarm filling her voice. "Are you a half-elf?"

He stopped, turning towards her. "No."

She frowned, "But you have worked with them? For them? How? Do you help them take humans prisoner? Are you…?"

"That… does not matter."

"How can you say that?" Anna insisted. "You must know…. They…."

"I suppose you could call me a mercenary of sorts," Kratos said after a moment, turning away and starting off again. Anna hurried to catch up.

"A mercenary?" she questioned, watching his reaction closely. He continued on without the slightest pause. "If you are a mercenary then why did you not hand me over? I'm sure they would have rewarded you."

"There are… conflicting interests."

"And those are?" Anna pressed.

"They do not concern you."

"But obviously they do!" Anna insisted, stopping and staring at his back. "Am I to blindly follow you?"

Kratos paused, turning slightly. "Let us say that you have an object that I do not wish to come back into the General's possession."

"The Angelus project?" Anna asked softly.

"You were listening."

"Yes; what is it?" Anna continued, "Why do you not want Kvar to have it?"

"…"

Kratos turned, heading along the path once more. Anna stared after him, at a loss as to what she should do. Obviously this Angelus project was valuable, and now that Kratos knew the reason why the Desians were after her he also knew her worth. And he had admitted that he was a mercenary. Could mercenaries be trusted?

She watched as the man continued along, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she lagged behind. Could she trust him? She had thought she could, when he had sworn to the Goddess Martel. He had promised that she would be safe, that he would protect her. But mercenaries only protected their own interests, right? And if she were valuable it would be in his interest to protect her, at least until he was compensated. He refused to say where they were heading. Was that because he knew she would refuse to follow him? Should she follow him now?

Swallowing hard Anna began to back away, heading in the opposite direction that Kratos had taken. Perhaps it would be in her best interest to seek out her own path. She would trust the Goddess to guide her footsteps and pray that she would come out of this for the better.

She walked along, hoping to find some sign that looked even vaguely familiar, muttering her prayer under her breath.

"May the Angels guide my footsteps along a protected path. May the obstacles I face cause not trouble, pain nor tribulation. May the Goddess accept my prayers and await me in Heaven when at last my journey is complete."

So involved in finding her way out of the forest Anna did not realize she was being followed. It wasn't until they darted out from the trees and pushed her roughly to the ground that she realized she had made yet another mistake. She looked up into the smirking faces of the Desians surrounding her, her hope bursting like a fragile soap bubble, and screamed in anguish.

Somewhere deeper in the forest Kratos turned, hearing the cry, only to discover that Anna no longer followed.

* * *

**A/N:** Not as long as my chapters usually are, but then I was getting impatient to finish this one off. The next chapter will probably be a bit longer with luck! Please review!


	3. Chapter Three: Mistake

**A/N:** _And chapter 3 is complete! I decided to cut it shorter than I had originally planned as I'm trying to keep all the chapters at similar lengths. If I had ran through all my notes for chapter three I'm afraid this chapter would have been 2-3 times as long as the others. Plenty of material here for at least two chapters! Yay!_

_Thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far! I'm so pleased to hear that you think my writing is "quality" and find the story "intense". It makes me happy to know that I'm writing something that someone is finding enjoyable. n.n_

_As always: I do not own anything!_

* * *

"You have been a most troublesome inferior being."

Anna glared at the half-elf she had been brought before, fear cast aside as anger welled up within her. Mostly, she was angry with herself. If she had made wiser choices she was certain that she would not be in her current predicament. But there was no time for regrets now, not when she was surrounded by Desians.

The Desian who stood before her paced back and forth, smug about her recapture yet he still refused to look at her. Lord Kvar seemed disgusted by her presence. After he had assured himself that the gem implanted in her hand was unharmed he had begun a long tirade, belittling her in so many words.

Anna had scarcely paid heed to these insults, having long heard them. It was pointless to argue, to speak up, to fight back… all she had now was her anger, and even that was about to be stripped from her.

"Insolence!" Kvar cried, meeting her glare for glare. "You are quite daring aren't you, A012?"

"My name is Anna," she muttered, refusing to drop her eyes as she knew Kvar expected her to.

"Ha!" the half-elf shouted, turning away. "Such defiance for one in your predicament. But then, that is one of the reasons why you were chosen. We shall see if the guards can help relieve you of some of your excess vivacity."

The look the half-elf gave her made Anna wish he had never looked at her at all. She felt as if a stone had been thrust into her stomach and found herself short of breath. The two guards either side of her seized her by the arms and began hauling her away; Anna did not have the first thought of struggling against the punishment that she knew was coming.

* * *

It was some time later that Anna awoke in the cold. Because it was cold she knew she was in one of the cells. With some effort she managed to pull herself into a seated position, wincing as gashes that had started to clot began freely bleeding again.

She raised a hand to her face, feeling around her eyes and mouth and sighing in relief. It seemed that she had been mostly successful in keeping them from striking her face; there was only a slight soreness above her left eye and her mouth felt uninjured. Her nose also seemed to be in good shape. She groaned as she took stock of the rest of her body.

Her already tattered dress was more so now; it hung in strips from where the lash had struck her, the faded cotton now spattered red with her blood. Sighing in exhaustion she leaned back against the wall of the cell, looking around her. The chamber was small and barren without any sign that it was inhabited by other prisoners.

Her stomach rumbled audibly; Anna felt it was unlikely that she would be given any food or water anytime soon. Frankly she felt lucky to be alive, but then given how Kvar had reacted to her capture… perhaps there was some truth to Maribelle's words.

Fatigue caught up with her suddenly, making her dizzy. She rested her head against the wall, telling herself she would only close her eyes for a moment.

"Can't go to sleep yet," she told herself. "I must stay awake."

But she was physically and emotionally drained, unable to command herself to stay alert; no sooner had the words left her lips than she was unconscious once more.

* * *

Kratos stood in the shelter of the forest looking out at the gates that led into the Asgard ranch, his brow furrowed in thought. He wasn't at all sure why he had come here, why he sought to rescue this girl who obviously did not want his assistance. He had been here for some time now, unable to decide what his next move would be, effectively at an impasse.

Noishe whined beside him, nudging his hand.

"If she wanted to be rescued she wouldn't have ran off, would she have?" he muttered, more to himself than to his companion. "Why should I make the effort to free her from this place? She does not want my help."

The cream and teal furred creature sat on his haunches, yawning. He was used to the mutterings of his friend and patiently waited for the man to come to a conclusion; he only hoped that it would be soon.

"But she is involved in the Angelus project," Kratos continued. "If Kvar is successful in creating a Cruxis Crystal then it will only give speed to Mithos' plans. If I take her…."

He trailed off, not entirely convincing himself in this regard. True, taking Anna would definitely hinder the agenda of the Grand Cardinal but it would not put an end to his campaign. And Mithos… Kratos was certain that there was no force that could stop him. Or was there? Taking Anna would not stop him, but it could it be enough to slow things down?

_It would be a start…._

Sighing heavily the man looked down at the dog-like creature beside him. "What do you think Noishe?" The canine cocked his head, seeming puzzled. "Should we rescue Anna?"

The creature whined, rising to his feet and wagging his tail enthusiastically.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Kratos muttered, looking back towards the gates. "Alright then, let's go and meet with Lord Kvar and see what he has to say."

With Noishe trailing him he stepped out from the cover of the trees, making his way towards the gates of the ranch. He was well aware that his brilliant white clothes would stand out in stark contrast to the deep greens of the forest surrounding him and was not at all surprised to find the gate open and the gatekeeper saluting smartly.

"Lord Kratos!"

"I wish to speak with Lord Kvar. Immediately."

"Of course sir!" the gatekeeper agreed, gesturing towards the compound within. "The guard will see you to his chambers!"

Kratos looked up to meet the eyes of the guard whom he had met in the forest before Anna had wandered off. The half-elf saluted smartly, turning to lead the way. "Sir! You will be pleased to know that the Angelus project was located shortly after we spoke!"

"Indeed."

The two men were silent save for the clipped footsteps that echoed through the halls; Noishe followed, nose to the ground as he investigated the ranch. Kratos quietly took stock of the ranch as well, noting the number of guards stationed and other obstacles that would hinder a breakout. It did not take long for them to come to a large pair of doors, the guard stopping and gesturing Kratos and the canine into the chambers.

"Lord Kvar will be within sir!"

Without a pause Kratos entered the room, his eyes coming to rest on a figure seated behind a desk.

"My Lord…!" Kvar exclaimed, seeming quite surprised. "I did not realize we were to have the… pleasure of your company!"

"Surely your guard informed you of my intentions to help you locate the Angelus project?" Kratos asked, raising an eye.

"Of course," Kvar returned. "I am sure by now that you have been informed of the successful recovery of the item… and the thief."

"Indeed," Kratos feigned disinterest as he asked his next question. "And the project is unharmed? The thief punished?"

Kvar eyed him curiously. "Yes, of course. A012 is the host body for the Angelus project, so while she was appropriately punished we did not go so far as to end her life. The exsphere itself is in pristine condition."

"Excellent."

The half-elf continued to eye the man with suspicion. "And might I inquire as to why you were in this vicinity?"

"I do not see how that would concern you," Kratos glared. "What is your meaning, questioning an angel of Cruxis?"

"I mean no disrespect, I assure you," Kvar murmured, inclining his head slightly. "But it is odd for you to be descended upon the earth, is it not? Is all well with Lord Yggdrasill?"

"All goes according to plan."

Kvar looked up, meeting his eye. "Does it now? You do know, Lord Kratos, that I am bound to report deserters to Lord Yggdrasill immediately, do you not?"

Kratos gave him a sharp look.

"He has been in contact with the five Grand Cardinals, my Lord," Kvar continued, ignoring the glare he was receiving. "He has asked that we inform him immediately if you were to turn up. It is for your own good."

* * *

Anna was startled awake by the echoes of angry shouts. She peered out of her cell, trying to find the source of the commotion. There did not appear to be anything out of the ordinary, yet the sounds of fighting were clear. It was out of sight for the moment, but it sounded as if it were coming nearer. Wincing she pulled herself to her feet, pressing her face to the bars of her cell, only to jump back as one of the guards struck out at her.

"Stay back!" he ordered, glaring at her.

Anna returned the glare but retreated further into her cell. The fighting was coming closer now, she could hear the shouts of the Desians.

"Watch out!"

"Keep away from his blade!"

She grimaced in thought, had a prisoner gotten hold of a sword or had someone broken into the ranch? She listened to the voices as they echoed closer still.

"Run!"

"Secure the prisoners! He's heading for the cells!"

Someone was trying to free the prisoners? Anna slumped to the floor, startled by this information but not daring to hope that this mysterious swordsman would make it so far as the prisoner's cells. There were too many Desians and only one to challenge them from the sound of it. They would bring him down soon she thought sadly.

She stared at the floor, eyes brimming with tears at the thought of the brave person sacrificing their life in the attempt to rescue the prisoners. A tear escaped, trailing down her cheek as she closed her eyes, offering a prayer for the suicidal would-be rescuer.

"Goddess, please, protect this careless savior. Allow him safe passage from this place of death. Do not allow him to make a meaningless sacrifice."

The sounds of battle came closer and Anna pressed her eyes shut, not wanting to see this person cut down before her. She envisioned a young boy, bravely and recklessly struggling against the Desians, his young life cut down far before its expectancy.

"Goddess… please… hear my prayers."

There was a horrendous screeching sound from somewhere far too close. The guard outside her cell shouted something that was swallowed up by the clashing of weapons. Anna closed her eyes tighter.

"Anna!"

She opened her eyes, gaping as her focus came to rest on the man kneeling before her.

"Kr… Kratos?"

He barely spared her a glance, looking nervously over his shoulder. "Are you able to run? We have to move quickly before more of them arrive."

Run? Anna stared incredulously. She did not have time to think for long however; Kratos grabbed her hand and pulled her from the cell, dragging her along behind him.

"Wh… where are we going?"

"I don't know," Kratos answered, searching frantically. "We've got to find a way out of here first."

Anna allowed herself to be pulled along, falling mute. Had he broken into the ranch for her? Why? And why had the Desians been chasing him before? A whine caught her attention and she looked up to see Noishe ahead of them, scratching at a door. Kratos followed the dog without hesitation, pulling Anna after him. He came to an abrupt halt on the other side of the door.

"The control room Noishe?"

The dog whined, sniffing in a frantic manner.

Kratos released Anna's wrist, helping the animal search. Anna stood mutely, watching the two, completely bewildered. They seemed to communicate on a telepathic level, their search of the room was methodically and through. From behind her, on the other side of the door, she could hear shouts coming closer.

"Anna, see if you can figure out a way to lock that door."

"Yes… how?"

"The console there, can you use it?"

"I'll try."

Frantically she stared at the machine, pressing buttons at random as the others searched for an exit. Above her images were projected, though Anna did not begin to comprehend what they meant. They seemed to be models of the ranch, different rooms perhaps, all of them a different color. Searching the buttons before her she found one with a symbol she recognized - a lock. With a feeling of triumph she pressed it, the model ranch above began to pulse and the door behind her clicked loudly.

"Good," Kratos looked up. "That should by us some time."

No sooner than he said this than the door gave a loud _whump!_ Anna stared, backing away. Noishe began whining loudly, pawing at something near the console where Anna stood.

"Here?" Kratos asked, coming to investigate. The dog whined in response and Kratos set to work peeling away a section of the wall. As Anna watched a hole revealed itself; Kratos patted the dog. "Good work Noishe."

"Where does it lead?" Anna asked.

Kratos looked up at her. "If I'm correct it should lead to a vent outside of the ranch."

The door behind them gave a shudder as the Desians worked to open it.

"And if you're not correct?" Anna asked.

"It's either this or waiting for the Desians to break down the door," Kratos shrugged, turning towards his dog. "Noishe, you go on ahead." The creature did not telling twice - he crawled into the hole and was gone in a moment. "Are you coming Anna?"

She glanced between the hole and the door, looking back at Kratos. "Why did you come here?"

"We don't have time for this right now," he said, exasperated. "I promise I will explain everything when we are safely away from here."

"But…."

"Come on Anna," he interrupted. "Trust me."

She nodded, "I'm sorry about… earlier."

"If that is so then please, don't waste time here," Kratos replied. "Let's go."

Hoping that this time she was making the right choice Anna ducked, crawling into the hole. Standing would be impossible here so she crawled forward, the only direction available. Behind her she could hear Kratos entering the tunnel, there was a soft scraping sound and suddenly everything went pitch black.

"What…?"

"Stay quiet," Kratos hissed. "I've closed the wall behind us. Just keep going forward."

Swallowing Anna placed one hand in front of her, blindly moving forward. Her heart raced wildly as her eyes strained to make out the path before her. It was terrifying moving towards the unknown, unable to see.

"You're fine," Kratos whispered softly. "Just keep moving forward, Noishe is just ahead."

She wondered if he could hear her heart beating furiously. She could hear him breathing behind her and a soft clicking sound from further ahead which she desperately hoped was Noishe. She stared ahead of her, trying to make out anything, willing her eyes to find shapes in the inky darkness.

This, however, only made her eyes ache and as she became aware of this discomfort she began to notice others as well. Her arms were sore and felt like they were turning into rubber; she wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to crawl forward without collapsing. Every time she inched forward the movement would pull at the gashes along her back, the wounds stinging as they rubbed against the tattered remains of her dress.

"Just a little further," Kratos said behind her.

Anna sighed, hoping he was right. As she stared ahead she thought she could make out a shade of gray against the black that surrounded them. She blinked, trying to clear her vision, wondering if she were seeing things. The gray patch remained, becoming even clearer. Now she could make out a familiar canine outline. She hurried forward, eager to be out of the confined tunnel.

When she reached Noishe she was startled to see that there were bars blocking the exit from the vent. She turned, looking back at Kratos.

"Move to the side," he ordered, glancing at the bars. "Both of you."

Doing as she was bid Anna crouched against the dog, watching as Kratos squeezed past them and approached the bars. It was hard to determine what he was doing, but when he moved back again two of the bars had been bent in such a way that the three inside the vent could get out.

Noishe immediately leapt from the vent, shaking himself before turning expectantly towards the other two. Anna shakily crawled forward, pulling herself out of the vent and glancing around fearfully, half expecting a squad of Desians to be waiting for them. The surrounding forest was quiet though, with no sign that anyone was nearby.

"We should keep moving," Kratos said, brushing himself off as he stood. "They'll send out search parties and we should get as far away from here as we can before we rest."

Anna nodded, having not the energy to reply. She stood, wincing slightly, and started forward, only to stop at the sharp intake of breath behind her. Afraid that it was too late and they had been spotted by their pursuers she glanced around frantically, noticing nothing unordinary. Turning back she found Kratos regarding her with an appalled look.

"What's wrong?"

"They did this to you?" he asked, waving a hand at her. "This was their punishment?"

Anna blushed lightly, looking away.

"_Healing stream_."

Anna gasped as a swirl of green light enveloped her, seeking out her wounds and pouring into them. She looked up at the man across from her in shock as the light faded and the light breeze died down.

"How did you…?"

"Something else to explain later," he told her, ignoring her surprise, still staring at her. He removed the cloak-like over garment he wore, holding it out to her. "I'm afraid there isn't much to be done about your dress but at least you will be able to move faster now that your wounds are healed. When you tire Noishe will carry you; I'm afraid we won't be able to stop for some time."

Nodding dumbly Anna took the offered garment, draping it around her. It was much too big, but at least it covered her. Seeming satisfied Kratos began to lead the way, Anna following while Noishe sprinted ahead. She was pleasantly surprised at how much better she felt, almost reenergized as well as healed. They continued through the trees for some time before they came to the edge of the forest, Anna instantly recognized where she was.

"Luin is this way."

"Yes," Kratos acknowledged. "It is the closest town, and perhaps the best place to seek refuge for a time."

Anna nodded in agreement, smiling softly. "Luin… is my home."

Kratos looked up at her, examining her face. Anna looked away, glancing over the land that stretched before them. She had little doubt that they would find shelter in Luin; surely there would still be some who would recognize her, and the priest at the chapel would grant her sanctuary. She sighed as she looked back at Kratos.

"When was the last time you ate?" he asked.

She blinked, surprised by the choice of question. "Um… I'm actually not very sure."

He raised an eye, studying her. "I'll take that to mean it has been awhile. There's an apple tree growing over there-" he pointed towards the right of the path "-we'll take a few as we pass."

The topic of food on her mind caused her stomach to growl. She smiled, shaking her head. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

After filling a small pack with apples the trio started off in the direction of Luin. The path was easy enough to travel, mostly plains with a few rolling hills. Anna had guessed by the angle of the sun that they had escaped from the Asgard ranch during the early afternoon; the bright orb had passed its zenith and was slowly sinking back towards the horizon.

Pulling an apple from the pack Anna sniffed it, savoring the smell before biting into it. She found that she was ravenous and quickly polished off two of the fruits. She looked up and watched Noishe as he galloped ahead of them, pausing every so often to look back to where they followed.

Kratos walked slightly ahead of her, never getting too far. He had been silent for the majority of their journey and Anna had been grateful for the silence between them. She still wasn't sure what to make of his rescue.

The quiet gave her plenty of time to reassess her position. Perhaps she had been wrong about him; so far he had done nothing to betray her and had in fact rescued her twice. It was true he had not been very forthcoming with information, but had he not promised to explain everything? She could be patient and let him explain in his own time. She stared at the back of his head, wondering how long she would have to wait.

Looking away she began mentally tallying the reasons why she should keep following him. First and foremost were the questions she wanted answered that he seemed to have the answers to. The gem on her hand, for starters. What was the Angelus project exactly? It seemed to be valuable, but why? And just why was Kratos so concerned about who had possession of it?

Then there was this latest rescue; what had that been about? Had he really broken into the ranch just to rescue her? It had seemed at the time that the Desians had been attacking him long before he had broken into the area where the prisoners were kept. If they had known he was after her Anna was sure there would have been more than one guard outside her cell. So what had he done to anger the Desians he claimed to work with?

Sighing heavily she continued along, the light fading as the sun began to bleed into the horizon. He was an enigma, that much was certain. Anna knew he had to be hiding something, but what?

"Luin is not much further," Kratos said, breaking the silence. "We should make it before we loose the light."

She nodded in reply, beginning to recognize her surroundings. As soon as they came around the hill before them they would be able to see Lake Sinoa. They would come to the first bridge to cross into Luin soon after that.

"We need to do something about that exsphere on your hand," he continued.

"Exsphere?" Anna questioned, looking at the gem. "That is its name?"

Kratos nodded. "Yes, although the Desians intend for the one you wear to become something more. It is a very special, very powerful exsphere if I were to guess. It won't do for anyone to know of its existence."

"Should I pull it off?" she asked, "It wouldn't hurt too much, and if you're able to do healing artes then…."

She trailed off as Kratos shook his head, worry touching his eyes. "That would be unadvisable. The damage caused by the exsphere's removal would be greater than what my healing abilities could manage."

"How should I hide it?" Anna asked, looking up. "I have no gloves, nothing to cover my hands."

"What about your dress?" Kratos suggested. "The hem is in ribbons; you could tear part of it off and wrap it around your hand like a bandage."

"Yes," Anna paused, bending down and grasping the hem of the dress, easily tearing off a strip of the mangled material. "You'll have to tie it, I'm not very good using my left hand."

She held out the strip of cotton, Kratos taking it and gingerly wrapping it around her hand. He tied a firm knot in the makeshift bandage

"Something is not right about you," she said softly, staring at him, concerned about what she detected in his eyes. He looked up at her, the scrutiny of her gaze making his skin tingle. "There's a lot you haven't told me. Are we safe enough now?"

Kratos sighed heavily. "I promised that I would answer some of your questions, and I will. But there are more important things that we must attend to first. When we are safely in Luin and you have rested-"

"I am alert enough to hear your explanation," Anna interrupted. "Besides, I don't think I'll really be able to rest until I know what is going on."

"Regardless, I will explain things when I feel the time is right," Kratos insisted.

Anna sighed, walking away towards the lake. She rounded the small knoll that blocked the view, hearing Kratos following behind her. The lake sparkled in the dying light of the sun, the colors of sunset reflected off its surface bathing the shore in a fiery crimson glow.

"We should go to Luin now," Kratos said quietly.

Anna nodded, looking across the lake at the city nestled between the waters. "Yes, I'm ready to go home."


	4. Chapter Four: Homesick

**A/N: Gah, I feel so impatient! I really have quite a bit more I would like to add to this, but I don't see myself getting an opportunity to write any time soon. Maybe I should clarify that statement - it makes me sound like I'm abandoning my precious project!**

**I've recently been promoted to a new department at work (yippee!!), while this means a huge raise and other lovelies it also means I'm dead tired from learning a ton a new stuff. Sadly I've been neglecting my writing the past couple of weeks (oh noes!!). So while this will be continued it will likely happen at a slower pace than I'd like for awhile.**

**Anyway, enough babbling! On to chapter the fourth!**

**(DISCLAIMER: And no, I still don't own anything!)**

* * *

Anna paused as she stepped onto the bridge that would take her into Luin. She looked ahead towards the town, biting her lip. It seemed the pathway was empty, most people having gone inside their homes for the evening. The inn was visible just ahead, lights shining brightly from its windows. This was no doubt the destination that Kratos had in mind.

The auburn haired man stopped beside her. "Is something wrong?"

"Um, no," Anna replied, forcing a smile.

"I thought you were excited to be going home?"

"I am," Anna assured him. "It has just been so long since I was here…." She continued staring towards the town, her memories of this place vivid in her mind. It had been evening in one of the earliest, and the Desians had seemed to come from nowhere….

"_Anna!"_

_The woman's cry echoed through the streets; the small dark-haired girl paused, looking for the source of the voice. Tears streamed down her face as she pushed her way through the crowds of panicked townspeople, searching their faces for one she recognized._

_None of the faces around her were familiar._

"_Anna!"_

"_I'm coming!"_

"_Anna! Where are you?"_

"_I'm here! Here I am!"_

"_No! Let me go! Where is Anna?"_

_The small girl broke through the crowd in time to see the Desians grab the searching woman, pushing her towards the others they held captive. The woman's eyes darted around frantically, coming to rest on the small girl._

"_Anna! Run away Anna!"_

_Sobbing the girl took a step forward, reaching out to the woman. One of the Desians took advantage of this, snatching her arm and pulling her closer. Anna struggled, pulling and screaming._

"_Cease your resistance!" the Desian ordered, shaking her._

"_Leave the brat!" another ordered, snarling towards her. "She'll only slow us down. Our orders were to take only the strongest ones for his Lordship's experiment!"_

_Anna screamed louder still, becoming silent only when the soldier struck out at her, causing the world to blur and slowly fade to black._

"Anna?"

She jumped at the sound of her name, blinking rapidly as the memory faded.

"Anna? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," she lied, looking away. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought I was."

"Hmph," Kratos stared at her, not entirely convinced. "Let's get to the inn then, so that you can rest."

"Yes, of course."

She followed as he continued across the bridge and into the inn on the opposite shore. The simple wooden building was just as she remembered it, however she did not recognize the man behind the counter.

"We are in need of a room for the night," Kratos spoke softly to the innkeeper.

The innkeeper looked at Anna, then back to Kratos. "I don't want any trouble here. We have seen our share of trouble."

Anna looked down at her frayed dress, if it could even be called a dress now. It was little more than a rag, held together by dirt and the will of the Goddess. Kratos' apparel was in better shape, but he was streaked head to toe with dirt like herself. She was sure they looked like trouble to the innkeeper and couldn't blame him the slightest for his hesitation.

Kratos pulled a small pouch from his belt, removing a significant amount of gald and placing it on the counter before the man. "We do not wish to attract attention and would be more than happy to refrain from creating any trouble."

"I see," the innkeeper said, eyes focused on the gald. "I've got a nice room available. And we can see to a hot bath for the lady. You too sir."

"That would be sufficient," Kratos nodded. "I have an errand to run. Would you kindly see that the lady is taken care of? I am willing to compensate you for your generosity, of course."

"Yes, of course," the innkeeper agreed, gaping at the additional gald that was placed before him.

"See that she is given all that she requires," Kratos insisted, looking the innkeeper in the eye before turning to Anna. "I won't be gone long. Stay in the room until I return."

Anna nodded mutely, staring after him as he left the inn. She turned as she heard the innkeeper clear his throat.

"My wife will show you up and see that you are given a hot bath," he smiled, gesturing towards the small stair where a pleasant, but unfamiliar, woman stood.

Anna followed the woman up the stairs and into a room, maids scurrying out as they entered. Bypassing the small table and neatly made bed they entered another room, this one with a large round tub. The room was warm, the tub filled with steaming water, large fluffy towels stacked nearby. Anna sighed with contentment, looking forward to the first real bath she could remember having in ages.

"Now dear," the innkeeper's wife said. "You get into the nice water and we'll see that you're all scrubbed up."

Doing as she was bid Anna removed what was left of her dress. The innkeeper's wife stood outside the door, ready to take the garment. Anna frowned at the destroyed cloth, knowing that no amount of effort could ever repair it.

"I'm afraid my dress is…." she trailed off as the innkeeper's wife interrupted.

"It will be fine my dear, my husband says that we will see to supplying you with a new frock."

"Oh, alright then."

"Are you in your bath dear?"

Anna slipped slowly into the heated water with many silent thanks to the Goddess for the soothing bath. "Yes."

"Then I shall assist you," the woman replied, coming back into the room.

Anna opened her mouth to protest, embarrassed that the woman would take the instructions given to her so far, but before she could speak a steam of water surged over her head, all but drowning her. Gasping she looked up at the innkeeper's wife, who only smiled before taking up a bar of soap.

"You seem to be in a rather roughed up condition," the woman mused, her voice concerned. "Have you been traveling long?"

"Um, not very long," Anna replied, still bewildered as she was attacked with the bar of soap.

"Where did you travel from?"

"North a ways," Anna replied.

"I see," the woman replied, nodding slightly. "The tower then?"

"The tower?" Anna replied, baffled. She winced as the woman rubbed at her head with the soap, pulling at the tangles that had formed in her short hair.

"The Tower of Mana," she clarified. "Is that where you have come from?"

Anna shook her head, "No."

The woman was silent for a moment and Anna was thankful for what she hoped was the end of her questioning. She greatly wished the woman would leave her in peace, however the innkeeper's wife seemed to be a busybody and only too pleased to assist her.

"Your companion," the innkeeper's wife pressed; Anna sighed with frustration. "He has not been… unkind to you?"

"What?" Anna blinked as the woman poured more water over her head, rinsing out the soap. "No! Of course not!"

"You will forgive my concern," the innkeeper's wife answered, horrifying Anna as she elaborated. "Usually when my husband and I give lodging to those who appear as the two of you do… well, let us say that the roughness of the road is not usually the reason the lady is so battered. It does not suit me to stand idly by and watch some poor girl suffer at the hands of a brute. We are of course willing to give any assistance we can - if only we know it is needed."

Anna stared at the woman, mouth agape. Swallowing hard she cleared her throat enough to speak. "I promise you, my… companion has not harmed me in any way." The goodwife eyed her skeptically. "Really. I've been lost for some time actually. He found me and allowed me to accompany him here."

Still frowning the innkeeper's wife continued scrubbing. Anna was sure the top layer of her skin was going to be rubbed off, maybe the second layer as well. She was glad that her wounds had been so thoroughly healed earlier, otherwise she was certain she would be in no small amount of pain. Doubtless it was best to remain motionless and allow the woman to finish what she felt she was obliged to do; but when the goodwife suddenly took hold of her wrist, reaching for the makeshift bandage on her hand, Anna began to struggle.

"What in the name of Martel is wrong with you?" the innkeeper's wife stared at Anna, flabbergasted. "You've an injury here that likely needs attention."

"No!" Anna cried, pulling away from her.

"At least allow me to replace your bandage, that dirty rag will only breed infection!" the woman insisted, looking sternly at Anna.

"No, really, I'd rather you didn't," Anna insisted. "If you would leave some clean bandages I'll see to it myself."

Huffing in irritation the innkeeper's wife stood, crossing to the door. "Fine, do as you like. I can not say I understand why you are refusing our help. There are plenty of warm towels there and a clean gown has been laid out for you as well. Is there anything else we can furnish you?"

Anna shook her head, cowering in the water.

"Are you hungry? Should I have a meal sent up?"

"Actually, that would be nice."

Nodding her head the woman left the room, hurrying back downstairs. As soon as she was gone Anna grabbed a towel, drying off and fumbling into the dress that she had been given. She did not want for the woman to come back and 'assist' her in dressing.

The dress was a faded blue cotton, the skirt and sleeves long. There was a crisp white apron that went over the dress, which Anna declined to wear. The dress was comfortable, clearly having been worn many times. There was a fresh laundry smell to it, like soap and sunshine from having hung out to dry.

Suddenly exhausted from her ordeal Anna walked into the bedroom, crossing to sit on the bed. She wondered how long it would take for the innkeeper's wife to find something she would deem suitable for Anna to eat. It could take awhile. Long enough for a nap perhaps.

With a yawn she stretched out across the bed, promising herself she would only close her eyes for a moment.

* * *

It had not taken Kratos long to finish his errands. He was hesitant to leave Anna alone for long; he did not trust the innkeeper. Not that the man had done anything, but his hesitation to assist them, only to have his mind changed with the presence of gald, did not sit well with Kratos. If the innkeeper were willing to bend his principles for them he would certainly not hesitate to bend them for others.

Therefore he had hurried through the dark town, making the few purchases necessary and leaving a false trail for the Desians to follow when they showed up. He was certain that they would eventually. He had spoken to the few people standing around the armory about the dangers of traveling to Hima and asked those in the items shop if the roads north of Luin were passable.

His errands complete he hurried back towards the inn, carrying two small bundles, entering just as the innkeeper's wife started upstairs with a tray.

"Oh, sir, you've returned," she turned towards him, smiling slightly. "The lady is upstairs. She has been given a nice bath and we found her a simple gown to replace the one she wore. I'm afraid it isn't much, but it is better than what she had."

"Thank you," Kratos inclined his head.

"I was just heading up to bring her something to eat," the woman continued. "Would you like for me to bring you something as well?"

"No, that won't be necessary," he insisted, reaching for the tray. "Here, I will take the tray up with me. We shall not require anything further tonight. I thank both you and your good husband."

Bowing to him the woman relinquished the food, "Not at all sir."

Kratos hurried up the stairs towards the room the goodwife had instructed him towards, knocking softly before he entered. His eyes quickly scanned the room for Anna, coming to rest on the bed. She was sprawled there, her head cushioned by her arms and her body curled up, soundly sleeping.

Setting the tray and bundles down on the table he crossed the room, looking down at her. She looked rather comfortable and he was hesitant to wake her. They had traveled to Luin at a hurried pace, too fast for someone in her condition, and he knew that she would require plenty of rest to recover. As gently as he could he lifted her head, sliding a pillow beneath it. A stout tug at the blanket freed it from beneath her, moments latter it settled across her still form.

Satisfied that she was taken care of he looked around the room. His cloak was folded across the back of a chair, one of two that were situated around a small table. There was only the one bed, currently occupied by the sleeping woman. He was suddenly grateful for his lack of need for sleep. He assumed the door on the other side of the room led to the bath. There was a large window looking towards the lake; he was sure that Anna would like that.

Sighing he took one of the chairs and set it before the window, sitting so that he could look out at the dark lake. He was certain it would be some time before Anna woke and he was indecisive as to what to do in the meantime.

He stared out the window for some time, watching the lights of the town diminish until only a handful remained. As the lights were extinguished the stars above shone brighter, bathing the town in an eerie light. He looked up, watching the bright pinpricks as they shone down on the world, unable to contain a cynical snort, all too aware of the deceit of the sky.

Kratos knew what hung above the world, invisible to those staring up at the brightly shining stars. The cause of all his problems, or at least the home to all of his problems. Grimacing he brought his gaze back to the lake, narrowing his eyes in thought.

When Anna woke she would demand answers, Kratos was sure of this. He had promised her answers but was not quite sure what he would tell her. Certainly nothing of the invisible world that hung above them, or the comet that helped make it possible. Likely she would think him mad if he did tell her; the less he told her the better off she would be.

Without a doubt she would want to know about her exsphere, and the Angelus Project. He sighed heavily, knowing it would be better not to answer any questions at all but knowing he would have to if he expected her to follow him any further-

He broke off at that thought; _did he want her to follow him further?_

This had all started out as a way to delay Kvar, put a temporary hold on his Angelus Project. Kratos was certain it would take him quite some time to replace his test subject; he had no intentions of letting him recover Anna.

It had become slightly more complicated when he had learned from Kvar that Mithos was actively searching for him. Of course Kratos had known this was coming, he had been expecting to meet with someone searching for him sooner or later, but he had not been expecting to have his cover blown while attempting to escape with a girl who would barely walk - forget about warping away!

He could abandon her here, but she would easily be found by Kvar. She was slowing him down, hindering his ability to escape Mithos, but he was unable to abandon her.

"Kvar can not be allowed to claim her again," he reasoned to himself softly. "If he finds her she will be taken back to the ranch. Kvar will continue his experiment and eventually produce a Cruxis Crystal. This will only speed Mithos' plans. She will have to stay with me."

This settled he turned back to his previous dilemma of what he should tell Anna, or rather, how much.

**Endnote: Whew! Hope you liked that little bit - shorter than I would have liked but it got some of the vital stuff out of the way. Anna needed to recharge and I felt it was high-time that Kratos did some serious thinking. Next up: Anna has some weird dreams, Kratos schemes and nothing is quite what it seems. Gah, that was terrible.**

**Anyway! Please review!**


	5. Chapter Five: Past

_**A/N: Ah, another chapter! Yay! That did not take nearly as long as I had thought it would, but I will say I was having a bit of trouble getting the plot to move along to the point I needed it to. Hopefully next chapter won't be so difficult!**_

_**As always, I own absolutely nothing.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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* * *

  
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As Anna lay sleeping she tossed and turned, completely unaware of her surroundings. The wild thrashing had alarmed Kratos at first, but his attempts to restrain her had only caused her more distress. He had been a bit distressed himself when the girl had swung out at him, nearly clipping his temple as she fought her invisible demons.

"Maribelle!"

He frowned as she cried out, backing away and taking his seat beside the window once more. As he watched Anna gradually settled down, whimpering softly in her sleep.

"Maribelle…."

* * *

_The small girl had woke in a bright room, laying on a soft bed. She was distressed, not knowing where she was, and immediately began calling for her mother._

"_Mama!"_

_She heard footsteps echoing towards the room in response to her cry and eagerly watched the door for her mother to appear. The person who entered the room however was not her mother. She did not know this strange young man who smiled kindly at her._

"_Where is my mama?" she asked, looking at him with tear-filled eyes._

_The man was silent for a moment, looking down at her in pity. "I do not know child. I found you near the fountain and brought you back here."_

_Memories rushed in like water pouring from a broken dam; frantic searching through crowds of panicked strangers, the Desian soldiers taking her mother away with the others, screaming for her only to be stuck by the blunt end of one of their spears._

"_They took her," she whispered, a tear escaping and running down her cheek._

"_I was afraid that was what happened," the man mused, looking at the girl regretfully. "The Desians took quite a number of townspeople away."_

_The girl stared at him, determination replacing the tears in her eyes. "Then I will go and get her back."_

"_What is your name?" he asked, sitting in a chair beside the bed._

_She studied him a moment before replying. "Anna."_

"_Anna," he repeated, nodding. "It would not be a good idea for you to go to the human ranch."_

"_But I have to find her!" Anna cried, distressed._

"_What if she comes here looking for you?" the man asked. "No, I think it would be best if you stayed here."_

_Anna shook her head._

"_You can stay here with me if you have no where else to go," the man told her. "When your mother comes looking for you I would imagine she would find you here easily enough."_

_She looked at him, her eyes determined. "No. I have to find my mama. I have to go to her!"_

"_Anna. Would your mother want you to come for her if it meant that you could get hurt?"_

_Dark brown hair swung about her face as she shook her head reluctantly._

"_Do you know about the Goddess Martel?"_

_She nodded her head eagerly, "Father Tomas told me that the Goddess will save our world when she wakes up. Me and Mama pray with him, but we can't anymore cause he has to go away and teach other people how to pray to the Goddess…. And Mama is gone now."_

_The man smiled. "You can still pray. You can pray to the Goddess to help your mother."_

"_But Father Tomas is gone too!" Anna cried._

"_Yes, Father Tomas has been asked to go to Palmacosta," the man smiled. "But I have been sent here to pray with the people of Luin. I am Father Gregori."_

_Anna looked at him, wide-eyed. "You are the new Father? But you are too young! Father's are supposed to be old and wrinkled!"_

_The man chuckled. "The Goddess willing I will be some day."_

"_So, I can stay here?" Anna asked, looking around the room. "What will I do?"_

"_I'm sure we can find something for you here," Father Gregori smiled. "You will go to classes and learn more about the Goddess. You can assist me in the church and help the people of Luin. There is plenty for you here Anna, and you can wait for your mother to come find you."_

* * *

Anna woke suddenly, blinking in the sunlight that streamed from the windows. She slowly sat up, looking around the empty room. An empty chair sat facing the window and she vaguely wondered where Kratos was. Her eyes skimmed over the table, noting the packages and tray sitting there.

She stretched, feeling the stiffness of her muscles and wondered how long she had slept. Standing she crossed to the table, eyeing the food on tray. There was a questionable looking sandwich, which she ignored, an apple, a cup and a pitcher of water. She pocketed the apple and filled the cup with water, sipping it as she crossed to look out the window.

The lake sparkled in the mid-day sun, shining as brightly as any diamond. Anna smiled at the familiar sight, elation filling her. She turned back to the room, eager to be outside, and found a pair of slippers sitting beside the bed. Pausing long enough to pull them on her feet she made her way out of the room and downstairs.

The inn was busy today, guests filling the small space and keeping the innkeeper and his wife busy. She doubted they noticed her as she slipped outside. She paused on the doorstep, looking around the town as she decided on a destination. The lake beckoned to her and she started in that direction, following the road along the shore and behind the inn, wandering aimlessly.

She smiled at the townspeople she passed, looking for a familiar face and finding none. Her footsteps became quicker as she continued on. She could not understand this, not recognizing a single person in this town. Where were all the people she had known during her life here? Where was William, the innkeeper that should have greeted them on their arrival? That home on the corner should have belonged to Paul and Mary, but the woman tending the garden out front was unfamiliar.

Anna slowed as she walked across another bridge, looking up to see the small church ahead. Would Father Gregori be there?

* * *

After the sun had rose on the second day Kratos had decided that he could no longer sit in the room at the inn. He told himself that he needed to check on Noishe, who had remained outside of the town to avoid drawing any unwanted attention. Noishe was perfectly well, he knew, but the thought of venturing out to check on his long time companion was too tempting.

He had replaced Anna's tray, evading the innkeeper's wife and her questions, then headed across the bridge and out of Luin to where Noishe hid. He grimaced as he recalled the innkeeper's wife.

The woman had a good heart, that he could tell, but her concern for Anna annoyed Kratos. He did not like the attention she gave him whenever he would venture out of the room, the questions she peppered him with relentlessly. Was Anna awake? Where were they headed? How long would they stay in Luin? Had he seen the shopkeeper about some proper clothes for Anna?

Shaking his head he continued along, heading back along the path they had followed into Luin and finding Noishe by the lake lapping up water. The animal whined as he noticed him, trembling with excitement. Unable to contain his enthusiasm he launched himself towards Kratos, knocking the man to the ground.

"Enough Noishe!" Kratos smiled, patting the creature on the head. "I'm glad you've missed me."

Noishe whined again, looking up at him as Kratos picked himself up off the ground.

"I promise you have not missed anything," he assured the creature. "Anna has slept since we arrived. I've laid a couple of false trails and as soon as Anna wakes we'll leave here."

He frowned as he said this, coming back to his dilemma of how to get Anna to leave with him. Kratos wasn't sure if she would be willing to leave Luin now that she was home and he knew that he had to get her away from the town as soon as possible. He had spent the past two days on edge, waiting for Kvar's soldiers to show up.

Noishe whined again, nudging his hand. Smiling he stroked the dog-like creature, staring out at the lake. The best way he knew to gain Anna's trust was to answer her questions, he only hoped she would not ask any he was unwilling to answer.

He had decided that he would tell her about Kvar's Angelus Project, and about exspheres. With luck she would not ask about his involvement or question how he knew so much.

Still frowning he gave Noishe a last pat, "I should be heading back to the town now. If Anna is awake we will leave in the morning."

Noishe yawned up at him, laying down with a great huff of boredom.

"It won't be much longer my friend."

* * *

Kratos was back to in the inn before he realized it, maneuvering through the throngs of people and up the stairs. Opening the door to the room his eyes immediately settled on the empty bed, where Anna should have been.

"Anna?"

Silence answered him and he searched the room, looking for the woman. A glass half-filled with water sat on the small end table by the bed, the apple from the tray was missing as were her shoes and Anna herself was nowhere to be found. Turning he went back downstairs, eyeing the crowd of guests as he looked for a familiar brown-haired head.

_Damn! Where had she gone?_

Hurrying back outside his eyes roamed the street, pausing as he spied a blue dress… worn by a woman with long black hair. Inwardly seething Kratos turned and headed into the town, ever searching for Anna.

He could not fathom the reason she would leave the room. He had told her upon their arrival that it would be best for her to remain in the room where no one would see her. What if the Desians arrived today?

Kratos narrowed his eyes, angry that she would endanger herself. If she was captured then Kvar would win; Mithos would win. He could not allow the twisted ideology to continue.

"Sir?"

A young man stepped forward, concern etched on his face. Although he did not wish to slow his search Kratos had little choice but to stop as the man blocked his passage.

"Are you lost?" he asked, "Can my sister and I help you find something?"

A small girl stood behind him, looking up at the mercenary shyly. "We know where to find anything in Luin."

"Thank you, but I'm not looking for anything."

"Someone perhaps?" the young man continued.

Kratos stared at the two, _what could it hurt?_

"A young woman with short brown hair," he held his hand slightly below shoulder level. "About this tall. She wears a blue dress."

The girl tugged at her brother's shirtsleeve. "What about the girl at the chapel? I'd never seen her before."

"Yes," he smiled at his sister before turning to Kratos. "The chapel is just there, to the right at the end of this bridge. There was a girl there earlier, about my age perhaps."

Without another word Kratos sped towards the end of the bridge, leaving the siblings behind.

"Good luck sir!"

"I hope you find the girl you're looking for!"

The chapel was easily discernable, a small stone structure with blue banners. It sat on top of a small rise, the lake shimmering behind it. He entered the structure without hesitation, pausing as the dimness of the interior enveloped him. Voices echoed ahead, the words clear.

"No one has come?" a familiar voice asked, trembling slightly.

"I'm sorry Anna."

His eyes adjusted quickly and relief flooded through him. Anna stood, back to him, just a few feet ahead. She spoke to a priest, who looked up at Kratos briefly before turning back to Anna.

"It has been awhile," the priest told her. "But you are still welcome here."

"T-thank you." Anna looked down. "I appreciate your offer Father, but-"

"Anna."

The woman tensed, her head jerking up, as Kratos' voice reverberated through the small room. She turned, glancing at him sidelong with a look full of… was that anger?

"How long have you stood there?" she asked, her voice leaving no doubt in his mind that she was angry.

"Not long," Kratos told her, defensive. "Why did you not stay in the room like I asked you?"

Anna turned around, glaring at him. "Why didn't you stay and wait for me to return?"

"How was I to know you were safe?"

"Am I your prisoner now? Must I ask permission before I do anything?"

"Is this the man who released you from the ranch?" the priest asked, looking between the two.

A blush crept onto Anna's face as she turned back to the priest. "Yes Father."

"And this how you speak to a savior?" the older man shook his head, frowning sadly. "Anna, I thought you were taught better."

"I'm sorry Father," she muttered, her face fully flushed. "If you'll excuse me I think I will return to the inn." She turned to Kratos, an edge to her tone. "If that's alright with you."

Without waiting for a response she stalked past the auburn-haired man, the door of the chapel closing with an audible thud.

"I apologize for Anna's behavior," the priest said, a bemused look in his eye. "And I thank you for freeing her."

Kratos turned from staring at the door to face the priest.

"Where are my manners?" the man chuckled, extending his hand towards the mercenary. "I am Father Gregori."

Kratos stared at the hand, reluctantly taking it when it became apparent that the priest was not going to allow otherwise. He studied the man before him, calculating his age to be between forty and fifty years. The man's face was kind, slight winkles around his mouth told that he often wore a smile. He was clothed in a simple habit of course white cloth tied with a knotted blue cord shot through with stands of silver.

"Anna has always been a bit testy," Father Gregori continued, looking towards the door sadly. "Although it is no excuse for her behavior she has not had the easiest life."

"You have known her for some time then?"

"Yes, yes," the priest turned, heading towards the front of the chapel. "I found Anna when she was a small child, after a Desian raid."

Kratos watched the man as he sat in one of the front pews. "You raised her?"

"The Desians captured her family so I took her in," he replied. "She was raised by the church."

The mercenary was quiet for a moment. That would explain why, of all things, she had asked him to swear an oath to Martel.

"Anna has a lot of faith," the priest continued. "When she stayed with me she was very committed to the church. Hardworking and strong, always willing to help her neighbors. She followed Martel's example."

"Her capture by the Desians must have been difficult for you," Kratos mused, watching the priest closely.

Father Gregori nodded in agreement. "Yes, I was quite surprised to see her. She has been gone nearly ten years now; I did not expect to ever see her again."

"Ten years?"

The priest nodded. "Yes, she was barely fifteen when she was taken by the Desians. They attacked while we were out ministering to the people and Anna…" he broke off, bowing his head and closing his eyes as he remembered. "Anna had always harbored intense hate for the Desians. When they attacked the people we had set out to help she was quick to take up arms and fight alongside the others who tried to defend Luin."

"And thus was taken with the other captives."

Father Gregori nodded, looking up at Kratos. "Yes. I always wondered if she had meant to be captured. When she was a small child she would try and sneak out of the town, to rescue her mother. After she was taken away I could not help but question if she had allowed herself to be captured so that she could look for her."

"If she were fighting against the Desians there were only two possible outcomes," Kratos told the priest, his eyes narrowing in disgust. "If they are unable to capture those who resist they cut them down."

"Then it was by Martel's blessing she was taken alive," Father Gregori muttered. "Though I shudder to imagine the horrors she has experienced these ten years. Though some good must have come of it. If she remained true to Martel then I know she gave what aid she could to her fellow captives." He looked up at Kratos curiously. "Tell me, how did you happen to free Anna from the ranch?"

"…"

The priest sighed wearily. "I will respect your wish to leave my question unanswered. I am only curious if it would be possible for others to free those held at the ranch. Perhaps if we knew how to go about it…."

"It would be foolish for anyone to make such an attempt," Kratos interrupted. "It would only end one of two ways: in capture or death."

"But there is a chance that it would not," Father Gregori insisted. "Your and Anna's presence here attests to that."

"…" Kratos bowed his head, eyes closed. "Perhaps it was the will of Martel that allowed us to escape."

"Yes," Father Gregori started at him. "Perhaps."

"I should return to the inn," Kratos said, turning to leave.

"Yes, Anna will be waiting for you."

"Hmph," Kratos paused on the threshold, turning to glance sidelong at the priest before stepping out into the bright sunlight.

Yes, Anna would be waiting. And it was time that they came to an understanding.

* * *

_**Endnote: Heh. An understanding indeed. Anna with recharged batteries is a force to be reckoned with… and I hope she didn't go too OOC on me here. Well, OOC for how I've described her in previous chapters.**_

_**Next up: questions get answered! And this isn't the end of Father Gregori!**_


	6. Chapter Six: Revelations

_**A/N: At last the next chapter is complete! I know a few of you have been anxiously awaiting this one and I hope it lives up to your expectations. I apologize for taking so long to get this up - things have been very hectic! Between real life and my computer completely giving out on me (it's on life support guys, and I don't think it'll be much longer :( ) I've had a terrible time finding a way to get this chapter finished.**_

_**Many thanks to all who have reviewed! You guys make my day!**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I still do not own anything.**_

* * *

Anna stood in the room at the inn staring out the window at Lake Sinoa. She could still feel the blush on her cheeks and took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down.

She was not exactly sure why she had reacted like she had. She knew part of it was having been overheard. There was little doubt that Father Gregori had answered any questions Kratos may have asked him, and that thought made her even more uncomfortable, but why?

The lake sparkled in the late sun, a slight coral color tainting the western sky. Anna sighed heavily and leaned her head against the cool glass, her brow furrowed and her lower lip clenched between her teeth as she thought.

Perhaps it was because he had so effortlessly gleaned information about her when she was still without answers of her own that upset her. She wasn't thrilled with the idea that he knew of her childhood, but figured it wasn't any worse than his knowledge of her imprisonment in the human ranch. Maybe he would even show a little pity and give her the information she so desperately desired.

Remaining motionless she continued staring out at the lake, watching the coral sky turn fiery as the sun made its careful descent into the rippling waters. The room glowed crimson in the dying light, like some forewarning about what was to come.

Anna listened carefully to the noises of the inn. People were traipsing up and down the stairs, likely maids turning down beds for the night and guests heading out for supper. A child's cry of delight echoed up from somewhere below and Anna swore she could hear the clanking of coins, but perhaps it was just her imagination.

She clearly heard familiar, heavy footsteps echoing across the lobby below and up the stairs. She scowled at her reflection in the window, wondering if she should turn to face him or ignore him when he entered. The door opened before she could reach a decision so she settled for a glance over her shoulder before turning her attention back to the fading light of dusk.

He made no comment, simply closed the door behind him and walked across the room to where the table stood. Anna stared at the lake without seeing as she listened to the sounds behind her. The subtle shift of fabric as he moved, the clink of his scabbard as he removed the sword from his belt and the dull thud as it was placed on the table.

"Anna."

Though he spoke softly the sudden sound caused her to jump and a faint blush quickly followed.

"What?" she asked, her tone calloused. This surprised her somewhat, as she had intended to relinquish her irritation.

"I understand your anger. I apologize if I have intruded into your personal affairs."

She glared at him, the embarrassment she had felt at the church returning.

His gaze narrowed, although his tone remained soft and calm. "I think that if we are to be traveling together it may be in both our interests to come to some sort of understanding."

She arched a brow, "And why do you assume that I wish to continue traveling with you?"

"You were asking about your exsphere," he deflected her question. "I intend on giving you aid to see it safely removed, if that is at all possible."

"And why would you do that?"

"On the condition that you relinquish the gem to me."

"That sounds about right," Anna snorted, turning away from him. "What is so special about this gem? This… Angelus Project?"

Kratos sighed wearily. "It would take much longer than a night to fully explain everything. I was counting on telling you over the course of our journey."

"No!" Anna felt her foot childishly stamp the ground, her hands balling up into fists. "If you can't tell me everything you at least must give me the highlights. I am not going anywhere until you answer some of my questions. It's only fair."

"What do you know of 'fair'?" Kratos bristled, unable to contain his irritation.

"I know that you know more than I do," Anna retorted. "I know that Father Gregori told you what you didn't manage to overhear at the church. I know that the scales are tipped in your favor."

"All the priest told me was that your mother was taken when you were a child and that he was a father to you," Kratos returned in a growl. "I know that you were taken by the Desians fighting to defend this town. From that I gather that the people of Luin are important to you; and if that assumption is correct then it would be in your best interest to continue to follow me."

Anna gaped at him, her eyes gleaming with anger. "What do you know?"

"Am I wrong?"

"No… but," she paused, tears burning her eyes. She shook her head roughly, attempting to dislodge the accuracy of his assumption. "I don't know these people."

Kratos grunted in dissent. "You seem to care quite a lot for people who you claim you do not know."

"It shouldn't matter if I know them or not," Anna snapped. "All life is valuable."

"Regardless, it is dangerous for you to stay much longer in this town," Kratos told her. "The Desians will begin searching for you. I'm surprised they haven't arrived yet."

"Why is this thing so important?" she asked angrily, gesturing towards the exsphere. "At least tell me that."

"Fine, but first you have to tell me what you know about exspheres."

"Nothing!" Anna cried, her patience worn dangerously thin. "I know the Desians prize them and that many people have been sacrificed for them. But I don't know why."

"The exspheres are a source of power for the Desians," Kratos told her. "They are, in a sense, weapons. For some time now the Cardinal overseeing the ranch you were taken from-"

"Kvar," Anna interrupted, her eyes narrowing in disgust.

"Yes, Kvar," Kratos acknowledged. "Kvar has been studying ways to make these exspheres more powerful. He developed a theory and has been using hand-picked human subjects to test this theory on."

"The Angelus Project."

Kratos nodded, "Yes."

"You said before that you worked for them," Anna stared at him suspiciously. "Were you finding test subjects for Kvar?"

Kratos stared at her. "No, I was not. I have never assisted the Desians in taking human prisoners."

"What did you do for them then?"

"…" Kratos shifted uncomfortably. "Surveillance."

"Surveillance?" Anna questioned skeptically.

"I gave them aid in fortifying their ranches," Kratos replied. "And gave advice as how to best plan and coordinate attacks."

Anna narrowed her eyes at him in disgust. "You helped them attack towns and villages then? You might not have fought beside them but you may as well have. You told them how to do it!"

Kratos bowed his head. "I was only…." he broke off. He could not very well tell her he had been following orders as he had been about to. Besides being a poor excuse he was quite aware that it would blow his cover as a mercenary. "I did not fully comprehend what the Desians were up to at the time. I greatly regret my decision to give them aid and now strive to hinder them as much as possible."

"Which is why you rescued me," Anna breathed, lost in thought. She looked up after a moment. "Have you rescued others?"

Kratos shook his head. "I am shamed to say I never thought to do so before."

"Why me?"

"I stumbled across you in the woods outside of the ranch. I was there because I was desperately trying to find a way to atone for what I had done," he told her, not entirely lying. "When I found out you were the Angelus Project…."

"How did you know about the Angelus Project?"

He stared at her a moment, his mind fumbling for a plausible reason. He was somewhat disturbed at how quickly she began questioning him, and how willing he was to provide her with an answer, albeit a somewhat fabricated one. "I had been gathering intelligence as I was trying to find some way to cause trouble for the ranch. I overheard about the project but never imagined that I would be able to do anything about it."

"So the only reason you came after me was for this gem stuck in my hand," Anna mused, studying the man across the room. "If you want this thing so badly why don't you just take it?"

"Removing the exsphere would be hazardous," Kratos answered simply. "It could very well kill you."

"And you care because?"

Kratos narrowed his eyes at her. "I am not a Desian. While I desire the exsphere I will not endanger your life to acquire it. I would rather search for a way to safely remove it."

"Which would require me continuing to travel with you."

"Yes."

Anna sighed, moving towards the table and sitting down. "Why could I not stay here? I promise not to leave Luin. If you find a way to remove this… _thing_ from my hand I would gladly give it to you in payment."

"Too dangerous," Kratos shook his head. "Kvar wants that exsphere and will not stop searching for you."

"I'll stay hidden," Anna shrugged. "He will eventually tire and find another…." She trailed off, frowning. "Another victim."

"No," Kratos disagreed. "It would take much more effort to find another suitable candidate for the Angelus Project. It will be simpler to recover you. Not only that…."

"What?" Anna furrowed her brow at the unreadable expression on the mercenary's face.

"He would have to start again from scratch. The records I was able to obtain said that there is a high mortality rate for this project. Even if I am unable to find a way to safely remove the exsphere from your hand there is still the chance that it could kill you."

"It can kill me either way?" Anna asked, eyes wide with panic.

"The Desians use exspheres," Kratos stated simply. "They are incredible weapons that strengthen the abilities of those who wear them."

"They wear these things? What kind of idiot sacrifices his life for a weapon?"

"One that knows there is a safe way to wear one," Kratos held her astonished gaze, slowly removing his gloves as he spoke. "The exsphere is useless unless it is attached to your skin. In order to do this safely a device called a Key Crest is used. The Key Crest prevents the exsphere from causing harm to the wearer."

Anna's expression had gone from disgusted to astonished and now slid to disbelief. Kratos held up his gloveless hand for her to see, the object there unmistakable.

"You have an exsphere?" she asked softly, staring at the gem. "But, what is this around it?"

"That is the Key Crest," Kratos told her. "An item I intend to acquire for you as soon as possible."

Anna looked up from her inspection of his hand, "Why would you do all this for me?"

"I told you, I want that stone if at all possible. You see that I utilize an exsphere and yours is supposed to be the most powerful one yet."

"So, where do you get one of these Key Crests?" Anna asked, sitting back and meeting his eye once more.

"They are Dwarven technology."

Anna's eyes widened in shock. "Where do you plan on finding a dwarf? I haven't heard of any existing anywhere!"

"That is why I intend on beginning our search as soon as possible," Kratos told her, pulling his gloves back on and nodding towards the table. "Those packages contain a pair of study boots and a garment more suitable for travel. I am sure that the innkeeper's wife would like to keep her frock and your slippers would not survive the journey ahead of us."

Anna stared blankly at the packages, reaching out to remove the wrappings from the items. "Thank you."

"I would suggest you get a good night's sleep," Kratos told her, turning towards the window and taking up his usual post. "I plan to leave at first light."

* * *

Anna had taken Kratos at his word and with her head whirling with new revelations had laid down, thinking it would be impossible to fall asleep. Seldom had she been so wrong.

No sooner than her head touched the pillow was she sound asleep. Her dreams were tumultuous and flighty, a series of vivid, unreal colors and disjointed scenes. Images of Kratos' exsphere and Key Crest, her mother's face bathed in eerie green light, visions of those she had ministered to in her childhood and at the ranch… Maribelle.

The child's small, innocent face haunted her most, seeming to follow her every twist and turn. Guilt over the young girl's death tortured her and over and over she replayed those last horrible moments. Again and again she heard the child's anguished screams.

"Anna!"

Her eyes snapped open as Kratos' voice reached her. The room was dark, yet an odd light filtered in from outside. She sat up, disoriented, and looked questioningly at Kratos, who held out a pair of boots.

"Put these on," he whispered tensely. "We have to leave - now."

"What's happened?" Anna asked, looking towards the window.

"The Desians."

A cold sweat broke over her and she looked sharply at Kratos, the boots forgotten in her hands. He swiftly knelt next to her, taking the boots and shoving them on her feet.

"I saw them start entering the town not long ago," Kratos told her quickly and softly. "I did not think they would make their move for awhile yet."

"What is that light?" Anna asked, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Fire."

Anna stared at him fearfully, her voice panicked "What are they burning?"

Kratos met her eye, pulling her to her feet. "The town. We have to get out of here."

"We have to help them!" Anna cried, staring at him beseechingly. "Father Gregori! I won't leave him to die because of me!"

Kratos stared at her for all of two seconds, not at all happy with the decision he had already made. "I will not risk your life for this town or anyone in it. That exsphere you wear is extremely valuable and I will not risk it falling back into the hands of the Desians."

She stared at him, speechless.

"The people of this town are good and kind," Kratos said quickly, bowing his head in admiration. "They would protect you. Father Gregori would protect you."

"But…."

An insistent knock rattled the door to the room. Kratos drew his sword, pushing Anna behind him towards to far side of the bed.

"Sir? Miss?" a familiar voice inquired. "Please, it's me, Joseph, the innkeeper."

Kratos crossed the room in two strides bracing himself against the door as he cracked it open. The innkeeper stood on the other side, his wife fidgeting fearfully behind him.

"Sir, we are alone, this I swear to the Goddess!"

"We have come in hopes of helping you," his goodwife added.

"Yes, we know that the intruders are after the young lady and yourself," Joseph said. "You who wish no trouble and keep to yourselves."

"Please," the man's wife begged. "Let us hide you!"

"We will allow no such thing," Kratos told them, opening the door a little further. "The lady and I are leaving immediately. I would advise that you and your wife do likewise. Get as far from here as you can."

"Sir, the Desians are already upon us," the innkeeper said, shaking his head. "They will spot you immediately if you should leave the inn. They have begun to methodically search all the buildings in the town. Those burning are the ones they have searched…."

"We have a good place to hide," the wife pressed, looking to Anna.

Kratos looked from the innkeeper to his wife, then behind him at Anna. If the Desians were indeed swarming outside - and he had no intentions of going near the window to verify that piece of information - then it would be best to lie low for a time.

But if they were also searching every minute inch of the town? Perhaps it would be best to hide, if he cared to wager Anna's safety against his trust of the innkeeper. Having little choice he bowed his head in consent.

"Very well, show us this hiding place you speak of."

"Good, good!" the wife exclaimed, hurrying off and down the stairs.

The innkeeper watched her go. "She will open the hidden door. Come quickly now, before the Desians reach this place."

Kratos grabbed Anna's hand, hurrying after the innkeeper and pulling Anna behind him. He kept his sword drawn, years of experience warning him of the danger he was flirting with. It could very well be Kvar himself that the innkeeper was leading them towards, at the very least Kratos expected a squad of Desians. It was with a bit of a shock that they entered an empty lobby downstairs, finding the innkeeper's wife holding back the door of a small space concealed within the counter.

"Hurry!" she cried. "I hear them coming!"

Without a second thought Kratos crawled into the space, pulling Anna in behind him. It was a tight fit and Kratos found himself forced to sheath his sword for safety. Anna pressed against him, her short hair tickling his chin as she trembled.

"Be very quiet," the innkeeper whispered, closing the door and concealing the small space once more.

Light filtered in between the slight cracks in the counter; Kratos pressed his face to the side, peering out through one of these. Within moments the door to the inn opened and four Desians entered. The one in the lead nodded to two of his comrades, pointing towards the stairs.

"You two check every room," he ordered his subordinates. "Bring all guests down here."

Saluting the two clamored off to do as they were bid. The innkeeper had come out from behind the counter by this point, Kratos could see him standing in front of their hiding place, blocking his view of the proceedings.

"What is the meaning of this?" the innkeeper demanded angrily. "I have sleeping guests upstairs and you mean to wake them at this hour? Are you mad?"

The Desian in charge barked back at him, "Silence inferior being! We have evidence that you are harboring two criminals in your inn. We shall find them and you will pay greatly for your treachery!"

"Absurd!"

"We've done no such thing!" his wife's voice cried out. "You may look all you like, but I beg you to leave our guests alone. There is not a single criminal among them!"

"We shall see," the commander's confident smirk was evident in his voice.

From upstairs came the cries of alarm as the sleeping guests were roused from their slumber. Children cried while men's voices shouted in indignation. It was not long before the first of the guests began filtering downstairs.

As they came to the bottom of the stairs they stopped, staring at the Desians blocking the exit. Men took up defensive positions in front of the women while the mothers gathered their children close to them. Kratos thought the entire scene would have looked more formidable if they all had not been wearing their night clothes.

The Desian leader came into view as he stalked over to where the guests huddled. He walked among them, studying the men and inspecting the women. After a few moments he returned to his comrades and was once more out of Kratos' sight.

"Line up!" he barked, all traces of confidence gone from his voice. "You there, make them move! Line them up! Now!"

The other Desians scrambled to prod the angry and frightened guests into a rough line, pulling screaming children out of their wailing mother's arms while the men were held back at spear point. Kratos felt Anna stiffen next to him, her breath catching.

"Where is our informer?" the commander demanded. "Bring him here. This is where he said we would find them and I want to know where they are!"

There was a scramble as the remaining Desians tried to follow orders. Two remained holding the guests are spear point while the third hurried outside. His footsteps retreated quickly only to approach again within moments, this time accompanied by another set. The innkeeper's wife gasped softly as the new arrival entered and her husband turned to comfort her, muttering inaudibly.

"There you are!" the commander exclaimed happily. "So, tell me, where are they? Am I overlooking them perhaps? Do you see the traitors here?"

Footsteps crossed the lobby slowly, bringing the owner into view bit by agonizing bit. Kratos had a glimpse of a familiar looking white robe and a flash of blue before Anna gasped beside him.

"No!"

He turned to her, afraid her soft cry would be heard by their pursuers. Her eyes were wide and riveted on the small crack she stared out of. If he had been able to see her clearly he would have also known that her face was pale. He could hear her ragged breathing that threatened to turn to sobs at any moment.

Without any hesitation he pulled her away, wrapping his arms around her and pressing her against his chest. He feared she would expose them and desperately hoped that she would keep quiet.

"So, _Father_," the Desian sneered. "Where are they?"

"Father Gregori, how could you!?" the innkeeper's wife sobbed, her voice trembled with devastation and anger.

"Silence woman," the priest replied sharply. "You are ignorant here. You have no idea what you are dealing with."

"You are not here to exchange insults with that inferior rat!" the commander shouted. "Tell me where the traitors are! You said they would be here!"

The priest turned to the Desian, his face becoming visible to Kratos. The gentle and kind countenance had been replaced with one almost unrecognizable. His eyes were harsh and cynical, the smile replaced with a caustic sneer. "When I spoke to her at the chapel she said they were staying in this inn. As I do not see them before us I can only assume one of two scenarios has occurred. Either they have escaped without any of your men noticing; which I find highly unlikely. Or, more likely, they are still here, hidden."

The Desian's nostrils flared at this and he turned to the innkeeper. "Where are they? Where are you hiding them?"

"I told you, we are not harboring any criminals!" the innkeeper cried. "Those guests before you are the only ones we have given lodging to!"

"You lie!" the Desian thundered, advancing on the innkeeper. "I will give you one last chance, where are-?"

"What about that man and woman?" one of the guests spoke up. "The two that were staying in the room right off the stairs? They aren't among us."

Kratos tensed and Anna trembled at these words. The commander turned, eyes homing in on the speaker and asking his men. "Well? Were there any guests in that room?"

"It was empty sir!"

"That's because no one is staying in there!" the innkeeper's wife exclaimed. "This is nonsense! No one has stayed in that room for weeks!"

"But that's not true," another guest spoke up. "I saw the woman this afternoon. She was wearing a faded blue dress and had short brown hair."

Anna shook her head, moaning softly. Kratos squeezed her arm, attempting to quiet her. His eyes narrowed as the guests continued to make recollections.

"Yes, and the man returned at sundown and entered the room," another added. "I saw him as we were going out for supper."

The Desian leader turned on the innkeeper and his wife. "Who was staying in that room and where are they now?"

The innkeeper stood in front of his wife, shielding her as he made his declaration. "There have been no guests in that room."

"Why are you lying for them?" a woman cried out from among the guests.

"Yes, just tell them where those two are so that they can leave!"

"You're only making them angrier!"

The commander quivered in rage, spittle flying from his mouth as he shouted. "You are lying to me still! For your treachery I condemn you and your household to death!"

In one fluid motion he drew his sword and thrust it towards the innkeeper faster than any human eye could see. With a gasp from the on looking guests and screams of anguish from his wife the innkeeper slid to the floor. Anna's shout thankfully went unheard in the pandemonium.

"Burn this place."

The guests screamed as they were herded back up the stairs. Kratos could hear them faintly as they were barricaded into the rooms, the hysterical weeping of the innkeeper's wife and Anna's choked sobs almost drowning them out. Father Gregori stood in view, shaking his head, a look of disgust on his face.

"What a waste," he grumbled, turning and passing through the Desians blocking the exit.

The remaining Desians returned downstairs, scattering furniture and breaking everything from dishes to windows before quickly heading towards the exit. Kratos shifted, attempting to see if they had gone when the voice of the commander spoke once more.

"As for you, insufferable woman, join your conniving husband in the depths of hell!"

An arrow shot across the room, lodging itself between the woman's eyes. Kratos clutched Anna as she cried out, staring towards the spot where the voice had come from. No one approached and it seemed that Anna's cry had gone unheard, but he was not yet willing to reveal their hiding place.

He focused his external senses, straining his ears to catch any sound that would convince him it was safe to move. He could smell smoke and the faint scent of accelerant. The later became stronger as two Desians reentered carrying a large barrel between them. They sat it in the middle of the lobby and turned it over, spilling its contents before leaving again.

Kratos shifted, nudging Anna who quietly sobbed into his chest. "Be ready; when I give the word we will have to move quickly."

She nodded, turning to face the concealed exit. "If we left now we could help those guests trapped upstairs," she whispered. "Maybe then the sacrifice the innkeeper and his wife made would mean something."

Kratos snorted softly. "Likely they would sooner hold us captive than be grateful for our rescue."

"How can you say such a thing?"

"Have you forgotten how soon they were to reveal our absence from their numbers? They would have preferred the innkeeper to sacrifice you for their safety."

"Perhaps," Anna paused, biting her lip. "But that still doesn't mean I can't do the right thing."

Kratos' retort was cut off as a volley of arrows zipped in through the broken windows, oil soaked rags on their tips burning brightly. Most thudded into the walls and the counter, but a few found their mark in the pools of accelerant on the floor. The pools quickly turned to liquid fire; flames shooting high, reaching for the ceiling and walls.

"We're leaving now," Kratos frowned, glancing at the tip of an arrow that had penetrated the counter.

Anna kicked out at the trapdoor, sending it flying across the space behind the counter. She quickly crawled out, Kratos somehow managing to get out and to his feet before her. He pulled her up and released her hand, nodding towards a door behind the counter that led into the kitchen before hurrying through it.

Anna stared after him before turning towards the staircase across the room.

"I'm sorry," she muttered to the empty doorway. "I can't leave them like this."

The spreading fire greatly hindered Anna's ability to cross the room. The flames quickly devoured everything in its path, becoming more chaotic by the second. It licked up the walls making good use of the draperies and began its assault on the ceiling. Covering her face to keep from inhaling the thick black smoke Anna slowly made her way to the base of the stairs. Upon reaching them she paused, an ominous crackling reaching her ears.

She looked around, squinting through the smoke, before looking up. A large beam overhead was burning brightly, splintering as the fire consumed it.

"Anna!"

Kratos crashed into her, knocking them both towards the stairs and landing on top of her. The beam crashed down behind them, sparks leaping hungrily and catching on the hem of her dress.

"Oh!"

She flapped at the flames, retreating up the stairs in her attempt to escape. Kratos quickly reached out, seizing her ankle and smothering the fire.

"You do realize that you have effectively trapped us now?" Kratos growled.

"I was not going to leave the guests to burn alive," Anna retorted, getting to her feet and climbing the stairs. The smoke was even thicker here and Anna coughed as she pulled herself up the stairs.

"If we somehow manage to escape this burning pit of death we will still have to contend with those trapped here, thanks to your actions."

"They may not try to stop us," Anna coughed, her eyes burning and watering. "Perhaps they will be grateful for our rescue."

They had reached the first floor and Kratos removed a chair that was blocking the door to one of the rooms. He pulled the door open and glanced inside, "There is no one here."

"What?" Anna pushed past him and entered the room, searching for the occupants. "There is an open window back here, it looks like they managed to escape."

"Which is precisely what we should be doing," Kratos reminded her. "If the guests in this room managed to escape the others will have as well."

Anna ignored him, returning to the smoke-filled hallway and hurrying along its length, pulling open doors as she went. Most of the rooms were empty, windows opened along the far walls where they had escaped. She came to the last room, pulling the door open to find a woman crouched over a small child.

"Are you hurt?" Anna asked, crouching next to her. The child was unconscious and the woman looked as if she were going to pass out. "Kratos!"

Footsteps echoed down the hallway as Anna pulled the child into her arms, turning to look as the mercenary entered the room. "Help her."

With a look of disgust he knelt beside the woman, picking her up and turning towards the back of the room. "We'll open one of the windows. We are not that high so it should be easy enough to jump or climb down."

Anna reached the window first and pulled it open, looking outside quickly before pulling her head back into the room. "We're behind the inn, the lake is to our right and there is a small path just below us."

Kratos nodded, "I'll go first, when I call up I want you to push this woman out the window, I'll catch her. Then you will toss down the child before jumping yourself."

Without another word he was gone from the windowsill, the groggy woman perched there in his place. She looked sleepily up at Anna, coughing roughly. The thick, irritating black smoke streamed out the window as it escaped from the building, drowning them.

"Now Anna!"

Biting her lip and closing her eyes Anna reached up and pushed the drowsy woman, tipping her from the window. The woman gasped, causing her to cough once more, before she tumbled to the ground below. Anna peered out to see that Kratos had caught her and was propping her against the sheer hillside behind him. He turned back, looking up at Anna and nodding for her to send out the child.

Holding the child carefully from the window she dropped him, watching as Kratos caught him and sat him next to his mother. Then he turned, nodding for her to jump next.

Obediently Anna climbed up on the windowsill, looking down and becoming dizzy. She clutched at the frame, closing her eyes.

"Anna! Jump!"

She shook her head, overwhelmed with vertigo.

"Damn it! Jump!"

"I can't!"

"Let go of the window, it isn't a far drop and I'll catch you."

Swallowing hard she eased her grip on the window frame, "Alright."

Keeping her eyes tightly closed she leaned forward, choking as she felt the pull of gravity tugging her down. Instinctively she grasped for the window, but she was already falling. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out.

Almost immediately she felt Kratos' arms catch her and he quickly set her on her feet. She opened her eyes, staring at him in shock before swaying and sitting down heavily on the path. She looked towards the two that they had rescued, a sense of relief filling her as she noticed the mother was alert and the child was recovering. For this she had jumped out a window, despite her fear of heights, and it was definitely worth it.

Smiling she looked up at Kratos, who frowned at her. "You are not going to be easy to travel with, are you?"

Anna laughed at this, a sense of giddiness filling her and making her lightheaded.

"We aren't out of danger yet," Kratos warned her, turning towards the mother and her child. "I would suggest you find somewhere to hide. Try to get out of the town if you can."

The woman nodded, her face pale as she picked up her child and hurried away. Anna watched them go as she stood up. "What do we do now?"

"We leave," Kratos told her bluntly. "All of the bridges leading into Luin will undoubtedly be heavily guarded. I hope you can swim."

"Why?" Anna asked, her eyes mirroring the apprehension in her voice.

"Because the only exit left is through the lake."

* * *

_**Endnote: I added a bit of length to this chapter as my apology for taking so long with it. I hope it helped make up for your wait!**_

_**As I mentioned before my computer is almost unusable now. I nearly had a stroke when it deleted over a page of (completely awesome!) writing I had done and shut down on me. And there was no AutoRecover when I booted it back up.**_

_**That said, I will do my best to get another chapter completed and posted within a couple of weeks, but I make no promises!**_


	7. Chapter Seven: Complications

_**A/N: Ah, another chapter, yay! No new computer yet, but my brother is working at night mostly, so I've been able to log some time on his computer. A good thing I think.**_

_**Many thanks to all who have reviewed - and even to those of you who read without reviewing. I love watching the number of hits to this story grow. n.n**_

_**And now I'm going to take a leaf out of Key to Soul's book and leave you with a quote before plunging into the next chapter:**_

_"He was a prisoner of his own personality of that given set of traits that . . . predisposed him to see the world in a certain way, to make certain moves, certain choices" - William H. Hallahan _

_**DISCLAIMER: I still do not own anything.**_

_**

* * *

  
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_Through the lake, he said._

Anna grumbled to herself, becoming distracted for a brief moment from the perilous task at hand. That split second of distraction was all it took for her to lose her footing and slip again.

"Focus!" Kratos hissed in her ear, catching her from behind and hoisting her back on her feet.

Anna desperately wanted to retort, but merely nodded, setting her mind to finding sufficient footing beneath the surface of the lake. Her only reward for a snappy comeback would be a mouthful of lake water anyway. The rocks beneath her feet were unbearably slick and it was almost impossible to find any traction.

It had been simple, in comparison, to slide down the embankment and into the lake; both Anna and Kratos had managed without attracting any unwanted attention. After a brief discussion of how they were going to reach the opposite shore Kratos had initiated complete silence; that was when the hard part began.

"The waters are deep and it would not be wise to attempt to swim across," he had told her, taking a cloth from the pack he carried and wrapping it around his sword. "The Desians would surely spot us if we took that route. We will stick close to the bank and make our way towards the bridge. The water should not be as deep underneath and it will provide adequate coverage for crossing. However we should remain completely silent. The smallest sound could reveal our presence."

The water had been cold and Anna had clenched her teeth to keep from chattering. It had annoyed her that Kratos did not seem to react to the temperature, his only concern seemed to be keeping his sword and the pack out of the water. And to keep Anna from frequently submerging herself.

Now they were almost halfway across, Anna clinging to the pylons under the bridge. Kratos had been correct about the water being much shallower but it still came up past Anna's shoulders, which meant that every time she slipped she was plunged into the murky lake. She slipped several more times before they reached the opposite shore and by the time they had crawled along the bank to a place Kratos deemed safe enough to emerge from the water Anna felt as if she'd been drowned.

Kratos stood, sloshing through the shallow water to the shore. Anna attempted to stand, only to fall back to her knees as a small wave crashed against her. Grumbling she crawled forward, turning to sit as she reached dry land. Looking back she could see Luin burning across the dark lake, a vivid orange and red glow against the gray predawn sky. Black smoke billowed high into the heavens, trailing the story of destruction for all to see.

She sniffed, swiping at her eyes as she felt the onslaught of tears threatening to escape. It had been a mistake to come here. She had selfishly involved the innocent people of Luin in the schemes of the Desians. If only she had stayed away the town wouldn't be reduced to ashes now.

"I know you must be weary, but we have to keep moving."

Anna didn't budge, only turned her head to glare at the speaker.

"We are in danger if we stay here," Kratos pressed, coming towards her. "As soon as we find sufficient shelter you can rest."

"What kind of person are you?" she hissed, resting her chin on her drawn up knees. Her eyes narrowed as she stared across the lake at the raging fire. "Don't you feel _anything_?"

"We don't have time for this," he replied, his tone calm.

This only incensed her further. "Don't have time for what?" She stood up, whirling to face him and pointing towards the burning town behind them, "That is my home. The people there were all I had. The man I thought of as my father betrayed me. I saw innocent people murdered because they tried to protect me. And you are telling me we don't have time? Is it really so much to ask for a few moments to mourn their sacrifice? To honor them?"

Kratos stared at her levelly. "Yes, that is what I am saying."

Anna's eyes widened and she gaped at him, words failing her.

"If you really want to honor their sacrifice you would do better to flee than stand here and pray at their pyre. The Desians will not waste time in widening their search for you once they realize you have escaped their net."

Anna turned her back to him, trembling with rage. What he said made sense, it was rational and perfectly valid. But it was also devoid of any emotion. How could she run without showing the least bit of appreciation for what the people of Luin had sacrificed? How could she live with herself by acting so ungrateful?

But his words still rang with the harsh truth; if she stood here for long all the efforts of the townspeople of Luin would be for naught. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes Anna calmed her mind. As much as she hated to admit it Kratos was right… this time. Still, there had to be some compromise; perhaps she did not have much time, but she could at least offer up one prayer to the Goddess.

She sank to her knees in the shallows of Lake Sinoa, offering to Martel all that was within her in spite of Kratos' objections. "Within my heart are forever locked memories of the sacrifice you paid. I will always honor and remember the cost of liberation. May Martel bless those who paid with all they owned and welcome those who paid in blood."

Kratos snorted behind her, turning his back. With a last look at the dying town Anna stood, dripping with lake water as she joined him.

* * *

They had traveled quickly through the misty pre-dawn haze. Both remained silent; Kratos had nothing at all to say and Anna did not have the breath to spare. Both were wrapped up in their own thoughts, seemingly preoccupied but actually highly aware of their surroundings.

Every shadow became a phantom waiting to ambush them in Anna's eyes. She desperately kept up with Kratos, fearful of what would happen if she fell behind. As the sun rose the mist thickened, rising off the surface of the lake, filled with the scent of smoke from Luin. It was blinding, but thankfully brief. The mist dissipated within moments; their surroundings became visible and Anna realized that she had no idea which direction they were traveling.

As they crossed the plains she looked around, trying in vain to find something she recognized. This continued for hours, Kratos keeping the pace brisk while Anna hurried after him, both in complete silence. As the sun passed its zenith though Anna could no longer take the uncertainty.

"Wh-where are we?"

"Hm?" Kratos paused, turning to look at the woman struggling to keep up.

Anna stopped, panting as she asked again. "Where are we heading?"

"East."

Anna frowned, "East? Why? There isn't anything to the east. Wouldn't it be better if we traveled towards Hima or Asgard?"

"The Desians will think we've fled towards Hima," Kratos told her. "I made several inquiries in Luin about Hima and the route."

"But why are we heading this direction?" Anna persisted. "Why did you want them to think we were going towards Hima?"

"There is a place that may hold an answer to how to remove that exsphere from your hand," Kratos explained. "It will take awhile to get there, but I think it will be well worth our time."

"And what is this place?"

"The Balacruf Mausoleum." Anna stared at him blankly. "And why do you think we will find something useful in a mausoleum?"

Kratos declined to answer and Anna did not seem to take any notice. She continued to chatter on, asking multiple questions without pausing for an answer. Perhaps she did not expect one; but then, why ask? It was pointless to ask questions without expecting answers, was it not?

He found that he was getting tired and her incessant prattle was becoming increasingly annoying. That thought gave him pause: he was tired?

The brief concern did not even reflect in his eyes. They had been walking since before sunrise and it was well past noon given the position of the sun. On top of that the atmosphere was tense, the knowledge that Desians would not be far behind drove them on without rest. Most humans would be exhausted by this point, it would make sense if he were beginning to feel the effects of their journey.

"Mausoleums are full of dead people," Anna's voice intruded on his thoughts. "Surely you don't expect we'll find anything useful in a place for the dead?" She paused, looking at him curiously. "You're not going to try and talk to them, are you?"

"We should stop here and rest for awhile," Kratos told her, ignoring her question. "We will carry on in a hour and keep going until we find a suitable place to camp for the night."

"How far is it to your mausoleum?" Anna asked, collapsing gratefully to the ground.

"Two, perhaps three days to reach the coast," Kratos told her, setting down the pack he carried. "After we cross it should take another day to reach the mausoleum."

"We have to cross the ocean?" Anna sat up, her eyes wide.

"Just the inlet."

Anna laid back down, staring up at the sky. "I grew up next to Lake Sinoa, but I've never seen the ocean."

Kratos remained silent, eyeing the surrounding land for signs of trouble.

"Where did your dog go?"

"Noishe will find us," Kratos told her.

"You aren't worried about him?"

"No."

She became silent and Kratos prayed it was the end of her questions.

"Most people would be worried about their dog," Anna mused. "How will Noishe find us?"

Kratos sighed heavily. "Are you hungry?"

Anna turned her head, looking towards him. "Do we have any food? I could make us something."

"There is enough for sandwiches," Kratos informed her, tossing her the pack. "Make something for yourself; I am not hungry."

Anna dug in the bag, not bothering to look up from the task, "Neither of us have eaten all day. Surely you're just as hungry as I am?"

"I am used to going for days without supplies," Kratos told her, looking back out across the plains.

"There is plenty here for both of us," Anna informed him, raising an eyebrow as she studied him. "Are you afraid I'll spit in your food or something?"

Kratos looked at her sharply. "Worry about yourself. I promise that I will be fine."

Raising her other brow she turned back to the pack, pulling out a loaf of bread. "Well, suit yourself."

Thankfully the task of preparing lunch and then eating kept the girl quiet. Kratos sighed thankfully, turning his back to her as he continued to study the plains with sharp eyes. Sadly the silence was all too short lived.

"It must be lonely."

Kratos closed his eyes, praying for his slowly dwindling patience. "What must be lonely?"

"Pretending all the time."

He turned to her sharply. She was stretched across the ground on her back, her hands cradling her head and her eyes closed. She had not bothered to change into the traveling clothes he had purchased for her. Anna still wore the thin cotton dress; it draped around her, a size or two too big, but strangely flattering.

"Hmph." Kratos shook his head, looking away from her and back out along the way they had traveled. She was a strange girl, sometimes a bit too perceptive. Her uncanny remarks left him feeling… strange.

"You never did tell me what you think we'll find at this mausoleum."

Kratos blinked at the sudden change in topic, surprised but grateful. "You understand that we are searching for a dwarf?"

Anna snorted, rolling on her side, her expression torn between amusement and mockery. "We'd have better luck finding a unicorn."

"While you were recovering in Luin I spoke to several travelers who were passing through. Two separate times, from two different sources, I heard accounts of what could possibly be a dwarf. Both agreed that this possible dwarf was seen near the Balacruf Mausoleum."

Anna sat up, her eyes wide and bits of grass sticking in her short hair. "Do you think we'll find the dwarf?"

Kratos shrugged. "Perhaps."

"You said it would take another three days to get there?" Anna bit her lip, staring at the ground. "Can't we travel any faster?"

"We are already traveling as fast as possible," Kratos told her. "It will do no good to push ourselves to exhaustion. We may very well need our strength when we reach our destination."

Anna nodded. "Yes, you're right. But why can't we head off now? I'm not tired at all anymore and maybe we can make it a bit further if we try."

Kratos looked at her. Her eyes were bright with determination and renewed vigor. Knowing what they were heading towards had filled her with impatience, however Kratos knew that she was likely only running off adrenaline. He did not want to push her too far and have her collapse from exhaustion. Constantly he was having to remind himself of human limitations, something he had not had to do for a very long time.

As he watched Anna repacked the bag, standing suddenly. "Come on, let's go!"

Looking towards the sky she found the sun, then sprinted off away from it, chasing after her shadow. With a heavy sigh and one last look behind them Kratos followed, albeit at a more dignified pace.

* * *

Anna did not run for long. The pack was heavier than she had anticipated and her muscles were not used to this type of exercise. She made it a few hundred feet before she slowed to a walk, Kratos easily catching up with her.

"You should reserve your strength," he told her, eyeing her in disapproval. "You never know when you may need it."

Anna rolled her eyes, panting slightly and smiling. "You'd run too if you hadn't done so in a long time."

Without a word he took the pack, swinging it effortlessly onto his back. "Conservation. We have a long distance ahead of us and no guarantee that we will find what we seek. Do not foolishly deplete your energy. We will only have to stop more often and will arrive at our destination much later."

"You don't know how to lighten up, do you?" Anna scoffed, shaking her head. "I know what I'm capable of-"

"Do you?" Kratos argued. "You've been locked inside that death place for how long? When were you last allowed to make a measure of your stamina?"

Anna narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. "I think I know myself better than you know me."

"You must build your endurance," Kratos met her glare for glare. "You have wasted away in that place. A blind fool could see that."

Anna looked away, muttering darkly.

"You endanger our mission by behaving so recklessly," Kratos continued. "I would think I am correct in saying that you have never been on any journey of consequence."

"You think you know everything, don't you!" Anna yelled, glowering.

"I know about traveling long distances," Kratos told her, his tone malicious. "You would do well to take heed of my advice."

"Fine!" she shouted, tears in her eyes. "I won't run, I won't prepare your meals, I'll go where you say and sleep when you tell me. I won't pray or honor those who helped me and I won't thank those who may in the future. I'll be a prisoner again - your prisoner! - and you can take back the freedom you gave me!"

Kratos stared at her, at a loss for words. Her eyes and the set of her mouth said that she was angry but tears flowed freely from those same incensed eyes. He did not understand her at all.

"Anna, I never said that I wanted to take back the freedom I granted you," Kratos started, eyeing her carefully. "And I most certainly do not expect you to behave as my prisoner."

"But that's just it, isn't it?" Anna fumed. "You want me to obey you. You want-!"

Anna gasped, clutching her hand and hunching over. Kratos was immediately at her side, pulling the wrappings from her hand and examining the gem beneath. The brilliant blue was veined through with shots of ruby, the skin around the gem swollen, irritated. He gently touched the back of Anna's hand, exciting another gasp of pain from her.

"That hurts!" she cried, yanking her hand away.

"How long has your hand been like that?" Kratos asked, ignoring her protests and grasping her wrist firmly.

"I don't know!" she shouted, pulling against his restraint. "Let go, you're hurting me!"

He only held tighter as she struggled, studying the exsphere closely. "Hmm."

"It's never hurt like this before," Anna muttered, becoming quiet.

"You're lying to me," Kratos glared, meeting her eye. "You're not telling me something about this exsphere."

"Why would I lie to you about this damned thing!" Anna shouted, swinging her free hand in an attempt to strike him. Kratos easily deflected the hit, his eyes glued to the gem on Anna's hand. "I've told you-!"

"Interesting…."

"You jerk!" Anna began pulling away from him again, trying in vain to free herself.

"I apologize for accusing you of deceit," Kratos said suddenly, looking at her apologetically. "I was merely conducting an experiment."

"An experiment?" Anna questioned, glaring at him. "What were you trying to do? See how long it took me to hit you?"

"Not exactly," Kratos replied, looking down at her hand. "But I did learn something interesting about your particular exsphere."

"What is that?" Anna asked, her voice skeptical yet still betraying her curiosity.

"It seems to be reacting to your emotions."

"And that means?"

"We have a complication."

* * *

_**A/N: Ahahaha! So much fun. This chapter isn't as long as the others perhaps, but I wanted to get an update out there for you guys! To be completely honest I suffered from a minor bit of writers block as I tried to map out what Kratos' and Anna's next moves would be. Hope you enjoyed what eventually spawned from my overworked brain!**_

_**And I must give a bit of credit to the fabulous writing of Laura Whitcomb. Scattered throughout this story (and the summary) are tributes to her book 'The Fetch'. Have you found them? n.n**_


	8. Chapter Eight: Deviation

_**A/N: Miss me?**_

_**No, I did not fall off the face of the Earth, but it sure has been awhile, yes? I've had family staying with me since the beginning of June and they left this past Friday. So it has returned to business as usual around here!**_

_**I apologize profusely for my absenteeism. There was family to attend to, and then the tragedy of the death of a close friend. I want to write something for her, but I haven't had the heart to put my feelings into words. I expect it will come in time.**_

_**I thank each and every one of you who read and do hope that you will take the time to review. I know I have a lot of back reading to do for some of you - and I hope to get most of it caught up within the next couple of weeks.**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I still do not own anything.**_

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Kratos stared at Anna as she walked ahead. He watched silently as she continued on lost in her thoughts, clenching and unclenching her right hand. She had not wanted to hide her exsphere, to wrap the cloth bandages back around her hand. She claimed that the fabric rubbed, causing pain.

He frowned as he considered this. In all his long years he had yet to see an exsphere react as this one was doing. Then again he had not known any human prisoners who had lasted as long as Anna had. Perhaps this was a normal occurrence.

He glanced down at his own exsphere, knowing his was quite a different story. He had been lucky, they all had. Their discomfort had only lasted a brief time, and even then they had not been dealing with an evolving crystal, but ones that were fully cultivated.

Anna was feeding the gem that was attached to the back of her hand with her very life force. In theory it would become like his own, capable of lending unbelievable power to whomever it was bestowed upon. Perhaps it was capable of that even now.

Kratos was hesitant to test this theory however. He did not want to destroy this girl's exsphere nor did he want to end her life. This last bit surprised him more than it probably should have. As annoying as Anna was quickly becoming he did not desire to see this world without her.

In the past he had, without hesitation, took countless lives. _But that was war_, he told himself. _It was a matter of kill or be killed._ Without blinking he had seen scores of thousands slaughtered for the sake of bringing about the end of discrimination. _But it was her dying wish and I am bound to uphold my promise to protect her brother._

He could not fathom why it should be any different now, why it should bother him unduly if this particular girl lost her life in the ongoing battle being waged. As long as the exsphere attached to the back of her hand did not fall into the hands of those he now saw as enemies it should not matter whether Anna lived or died.

Yet it did.

Kratos looked away from the source of his consternation, thinking ahead to their journey. It would do no good to dwell on these impenetrable thoughts, the sun was quickly setting and they would need to find shelter for the night. There was a grove of trees visible on the horizon, a dark smudge on the otherwise unbroken line. The sunlight was dwindling fast, but perhaps there was enough to reach the shelter of the forest.

"Kratos?"

His head whipped around, finding Anna now trailing behind him. She met his eyes briefly before looking down at her feet, just long enough for him to register the exhaustion she tried to hide.

"How much further before we can rest?"

"There is a grove of trees ahead," he told her. "It isn't much further."

Anna looked up, studying the horizon. "You mean that speck way out there? There isn't any hope of ever reaching that far before we lose the light. Can't we stop here?"

"It would be better to reach the trees. We are too vulnerable out in the open."

"I… I…," she trailed off, staring ahead at the smudge that marked their destination. "I don't think I can make it."

Frowning he walked back to where she stood, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Grasping her arm he began walking forward, Anna falling in step beside him.

"Really, it's much too far," she said softly.

"You can make it," he assured her, trying to sound as coaxing as possible. "It is not nearly as far as you make it out to be."

"But I'm so tired," Anna continued. "I don't understand why we can't camp among the rocks. Wouldn't that be just as safe as the forest?"

"We can make it to the trees," Kratos insisted. "It isn't far and we will be that much closer to our destination in the morning. I thought you wanted to see how far you could push yourself? Didn't you want to shorten the length of our journey?"

"Yes, but that was before," Anna sighed. "I wasn't so tired then, and there was plenty of light."

"The sun is still with us," Kratos remarked. "We have at least another hour of light."

"But it isn't very good light," Anna rebuffed. "And it will be very dark when we reach the forest."

"Inside the forest yes," Kratos agreed. "But we are not going very deep into the trees. There will be sufficient light to gather a bit of kindling and light a fire. Then you can eat and rest."

"I'm so tired I don't think I can eat," Anna sighed, stumbling and falling into him. "I can't even walk!"

"You are perfectly capable of walking," Kratos disagreed, pushing her to her feet. "We're almost there, we've come almost halfway since you first said you could not make it."

"And I won't," Anna insisted. "I'm so very tired. Please, let's just stop here."

"Once we reach the trees we will stop," Kratos argued. "You can make it that far."

He continued talking to her, keeping her preoccupied, and it was not long until they had reached the fringe of the trees. Anna immediately slumped to the ground, sprawling out with her eyes closed.

"I thought we'd never make it," she sighed, opening her eyes to peer towards Kratos. "Can we really light a fire? I thought I saw a package of meat in your pack."

"There is a bit of salted pork," Kratos told her, setting the pack beside her. "I'll find some suitable kindling and start a fire."

He disappeared into the trees as Anna pulled the bag towards her, rummaging until she found the pork. Further exploration revealed what was left of the bread and three apples.

Kratos returned to the campsite in silence, busying himself starting a fire.

Anna scarcely noticed him as she scanned the surrounding foliage, finally finding what she was searching for. Leaving Kratos to tend to the fire she set to work slicing the apples and assembling packets to set in the flames. She spread out two large leaves, placing a piece of the pork and apples on each, then she carefully wrapped the leaves around the meal tying them securely with a bit of twine.

By the time she had finished the fire was hungrily crackling at the kindling Kratos fed it, the flames glowing white with the heat they exuded. Anna carried the packets towards the sound of water nearby, dousing them in icy water before hurrying with them back to the flames. Kratos had positioned a largish, mostly flat stone in the fire, onto which Anna dropped the dripping packets of pork and apples. Within moments the air was filled with the hissing of popping fat and the sweet smell of sizzling apples.

Anna stared at the packets sleepily, stifling the urge to yawn. "How much progress do you think we've made?"

Kratos' eyes' remained on the fire as he spoke. "About what I expected us to. I do not believe we have in any way altered the time it will take us to reach the mausoleum."

Anna blinked up at him drowsily. "Still another two days then?"

"Something like that."

It seemed to Anna that the food would never finish cooking. She had poked at the packets continuously with a stick until Kratos had remarked that there would be nothing left to eat if she continued to batter them. Anna had glared sleepily at him, too tired to think of an appropriate retort.

When at last the food was ready Kratos carefully removed the packets from the flames with the tip of his sword. He placed one steaming, blackened packet before Anna and the other before himself. Anna foolishly attempted to remove the wrapping from her food, only to burn her hand as the steam escaped. She sat back with a small noise of alarm, sucking on her hand.

"Are you injured?" Kratos looked up at her, the note of concern in his voice making Anna irritated.

"Of course not!" she growled. "It was stupid really. I'm fine."

Still he moved closer, taking her hand and examining it, seemingly unaware or unconcerned about her tone of voice. Anna snatched her hand back, glaring at him as he used a small knife to cut the twine from her packet of pork, using the blade to manipulate the leave wrapping around it.

Without a word he returned to the other side of the fire, picking at his own meal as Anna devoured hers. Once her belly was full she found that she extremely exhausted, more than she had previously realized. She stretched out on her side, cushioning her head on her arm and staring into the fire.

Through the maddening dance of the flames she could make out Kratos. He was sitting with his back to the trunk of a tree, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. His face was impassive as he stared into the fire and Anna found herself wondering what he was thinking. She realized then that she did not know much about this man at all, a fact that made her somewhat sad.

All this time she had only been thinking about herself and her troubles, but what about him? Did he have a family somewhere, brothers and sisters maybe, who depended on him? Or perhaps a young wife….

_No_, Anna narrowed her eyes at the thought. _What young wife would betroth herself to a mercenary? She would have to be quite desperate. And probably very ugly._

With these uncharitable thoughts in her mind Anna closed her eyes, envisioning the most horrid bride for Kratos. She was quite unaware when she finally drifted off to sleep, but came awake with a shock.

Cold steel pricked at her throat and a gruff voice hissed at her. "Not a sound lovely, or we kill your friend."

Anna stared across the dying embers of the fire to see Kratos slumped forward, seemingly asleep. As she watched two men crept up on him, one easing his sword away while the other brought the hilt of his own down on the back of the mercenary's head. Anna screamed and a burst of pain shot through her head, her vision fading to black.

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_**A/N: Short, I know, but after so much time I wanted to get something out there for you. And I need to get back into the story myself. Such a sad thing when you feel lost in your own ideas! n.n**_

_**No, I did not take much time to proofread this. Yes, that means there were probably some errors - care to drop a review and let me know where?**_

_**Yes, Kratos fell asleep. And I promise there will be a reason for this. **_


	9. Chapter Nine: Imprisoned

_**A/N: I am afraid I have gotten rather lazy with my updates. I haven't had anywhere near the time I usually do for writing and think I'm going to blame the insanity of completing Halloween costumes. That in itself is a time consuming project!**_

_**I've almost finished now, and really should be working on them instead of this, but seeing that my grandfather is on a new med that is making him sleepier than usual I've opted for typing instead of sewing. Keyboard is a bit quieter than the sewing machine I think.**_

_**Thanks to each and every one of you who read. I hope that you also take the time to review, but forgive those of you who do not. I can be just as bad at times but strive to be better.**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I still do not own anything.**_

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Pure blinding pain, that was the first thing Kratos became aware of. It had been ages since he had experienced the sensation and although it was not new to him it was more intense than he remembered. He struggled to open eyes he could not recall closing, clenching his teeth at the bright light that assaulted his pupils. Why did he feel like he was waking up with a bad hangover?

He was slumped against a tree, his hands bound behind his back. A sharp tug told him that whoever had tied the ropes had done well, but hopefully not too well. He glanced around with his eyes half closed so as not to attract unwanted attention, trying to ascertain the situation he found himself in.

He was still in the clearing, the ashes from the fire had been scattered and he could see Anna's still form beyond them. He narrowed his eyes as he studied her; her eyes were closed and she was curled on her side, her hands and ankles bound. Kratos took that as a good sign, if she were bound it meant she was still breathing.

Another glance told him where his sword had gone.

On the other side of the clearing were three horses, the sword hung from the saddle of one of these creatures. Beyond the horses he could see a wagon with a team of oxen and hear voices beyond that. At the sound of footsteps Kratos hung his head, feigning unconsciousness once more. The footsteps crunched across the clearing, the owner sighing dramatically as he crashed to the ground nearby.

"Leave an unarmed kid to see to the prisoners," a youthful voice muttered. "Why should I have to? It's not like they're going anywhere, couple of lazy sleepyheads."

Kratos slit his eyes, peering towards the sound of the voice. A small figure was hunched near the remnants of the fire, poking at the ashes with a stick. If this was all the guard they had posted it would be a simple matter to escape. Even retrieving his sword and freeing Anna would pose no problem.

"Stupid prisoners," the kid muttered, poking the ashes more forcefully. "Should've never come here."

"Alek!"

The kid's head jerked toward the sound of the voice. "Yeah?"

"Get over here and help me with this pail of water," the man's voice called back. "Boss reckons we ought to wake the prisoners before we start off."

"We're not gonna feed 'em?"

"Got no bread to spare," the man shrugged. "They looked pretty fed to me, they'll make it till we sale them off. Here, take this."

Kratos opened his eyes, raising his head as the two stumped towards him carrying the pail of water between them.

"Good," the man smirked, "you're awake. That'll save some trouble. Alek, you take some of this water and wake the girl."

"Don't touch her," Kratos hissed.

The man laughed at this. "Not in any position to be giving orders, are you?"

Kratos glared up at him, pulling at his restraints. This caused the man to laugh even harder.

"No point in that now," he smirked. "Rope is made by elves, practically indestructible."

Kratos turned his head, eyeing the kid who was approaching Anna. "If he touches her…."

"What're you gonna do? Like I said, you're in no position to do anything," the man turned to the boy, who stood staring wide-eyed at Kratos. "Alek! Wake that wench already! We're burning daylight and I'm not gonna be the one to explain to the boss what took so long!"

Visibly swallowing Alek turned towards Anna, drawing a ladle of water from the pail and splashing it on her. Anna sat up in shock, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Trying to drown me? Might as well throw me in the stream! What did I…!"

She stopped shouting as she noticed the boy standing before her, ladle in hand. He looked surprised, though not anywhere near as surprised as Anna. She looked around, quickly finding Kratos and taking notice of the man who stood over him.

"What's going on?"

The man grinned at her, "Well, lovely, you and this guy here are now our prisoners. You're gonna come with us now and you're not gonna cause any fuss."

"What in the name of the heavens is taking so long?"

The man and the boy turned, coming to attention as an older woman came into the clearing.

"Well? I asked what is taking you so long?"

"Sorry boss," the man apologized. "We were just having a bit of trouble outta the man there. And then the girl starts yelling."

"I see," the woman glanced towards Kratos and Anna. "They seem to be quite compliant now. Let's get moving."

"Yes boss," the man nodded, turning to Kratos. "You heard the lady, let's go!"

"You too," Alek told Anna, squatting down to cut loose the ropes binding her ankles. "And don't think of running, Bratha will just chase you down."

Anna stared at the child before her, "You're human, aren't you? Why are you doing this?"

"Ain't none of your business!" Alek growled, shoving her as she got to her feet. "Just bad luck for you, that's all."

The man called Bratha grinned, "Not all humans are to be trusted pretty lady, some would just as soon sell out their own kind as to help them."

"You've chosen the path of a coward then," Kratos said softly, glaring at the man. "You lack the strength to protect yourselves so you are indebted to others who are stronger than you."

"I ain't no wimp!" Bratha growled, tugging hard at the rope bound around Kratos' waist. "I could take you, and anyone else too!"

"But he has a point," Anna said, watching Alek as he made sure the ropes around her wrists were secure before tying off a length to the back of the wagon. "If you do not lack strength then why do you choose this way of life?"

"I told you," Alek whirled on her, his face a mask of conflicting emotions. "It ain't none of your business. We just do what we gotta do and it's your bad luck getting caught up in the middle."

Bratha snorted, finished with securing Kratos' lead he stooped to made a sort of hobble from a length of rope. "I don't think we'll have much trouble from the lady, but I doubt we'll find you very cooperative."

Kratos' smirked, "Smart man."

Just then the woman appeared again, two others with her. "Are we ready here?"

"Yes ma'am!" Alek answered, followed closely by Bratha's, "Sure thing boss."

She appraised the two prisoners, examining them carefully yet still with something guarded in her expression. "The man is strong and healthy. If he doesn't turn out to be a handful then I expect he should prove quite valuable." Her eyes darted to Anna, quickly sweeping her up and down, coming to rest on her uncovered hand. Anna was sure she saw a trace of a frown, a flicker of anguish in the woman's eyes, before she smiled. "And this looks like one that managed to get away from them. I imagine they'll have a hefty reward for her return."

Her words seemed to excite Alek, and even Bratha seemed relieved. Behind the woman the two others seemed apprehensive. Anna studied them for a moment, feeling perhaps that with them she would find the weak link in this chain of command. One was male, older than herself but younger than the woman they called 'boss'. He looked the stronger of the two, his face tight and drawn but his eyes determined. The other was female, perhaps the same age as the man but that would be where their similarities ended. Her face was plainly distressed, eyes brimming with tears. Her jaw was set, yet it was difficult to tell if it was in determination or so as not to cry. Alek was watching this woman with concern, while Bratha tried to look anywhere but at her.

"So, you are traders then," Kratos said from beside her. "You sell out your own kind so that you don't become the victim yourself. How… pathetic."

Bratha turned, aiming a punch at Kratos' head, but was stopped by the words of the boss. "Don't injure him Bratha, you'll just deflate his value. And yes, young man, we are traders, but don't think that this is a trade we have chosen for ourselves. Times are desperate and we all do what we must to survive."

She looked around at the others, "Let's go."

At her word Alek, Bratha and the other man climbed onto the waiting horses, the boss climbed up to drive the oxen with the younger woman beside her. The wagon stumbled forward, pulling Anna and Kratos behind it.

Anna sighed heavily, looking at Kratos. "What do we do now?"

Beside her Kratos shrugged. "We walk. It will take some time to get to any trading center."

"And when we get there?"

"I don't plan to stick around that long."

* * *

That evening they camped out on a hillside. The younger woman, who they learned was called Elise, had brought them bowls of some sort of stew which Anna ate ravenously. She sat with them as they ate, eyes downcast and silent.

"You don't agree with the others, do you?" Kratos asked softly.

Elise looked up, shaking her head. "We only do what we must."

"Why must you do this?" Anna asked, frowning into her empty bowl. "Have you any idea the horrors that you sell your own kind into? Do you not know compassion?"

"I only know that this is the only way," Elise said softly, taking their bowls and scurrying away. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry," Anna stared after her. "If she were so sorry she could help us get out of this."

Kratos peered after the woman, eyes narrow. "She is outranked. I don't think she will do anything that might put her in our place."

"You really think they would sell one of their own?" Anna asked, wide-eyed.

"If they have gone so far down the path as to trade their own kind what is to stop them from doing so?"

Anna frowned, watching the woman as she cleaned up around the campfire. The boss was sitting off to the side, conversing with Bratha and the other man. Alek was tending the oxen and horses, glancing over at Elise often.

"Alek!" the man called from where he sat with Bratha and the boss. "Quite dragging your feet and help your mother!"

"Yes sir!"

The youth went scurrying across the clearing to his mother's side, where she patted his head before handing him a pile of dishes.

"I don't think they would turn on her," Anna said, watching the exchange.

"Perhaps not," Kratos agreed.

"Why do you think they trade humans?"

Kratos shrugged. "For protection, for money, there are many reasons and we are not likely to learn the exact reason. For now the 'why' does not matter so much as the 'where'."

"Sorry?"

"Where are they taking us?" Kratos narrowed his eyes. "We seem to be heading south, so I would imagine they are taking us to Asgard. But there is also a road not far from here that would take us back north and west to Hima."

"Does it matter where they take us?" Anna asked. "I thought you said we'd be gone before we reached the destination."

"We will, but we also have to be on the lookout for Kvar's patrols," Kratos sighed, looking at Anna. "You should rest. They will likely start out early in the morning and we'll be in for a long day of walking."

Anna nodded, crawling under the wagon where their captors had left a pile of straw. She fumed silently for a moment, furious at being treated like an animal, before she became thankful of the warmth offered by the bedding. She closed her eyes, breathing in the sweet scent and listening to Kratos as he moved nearby.

* * *

"Anna!"

She blinked sleepily, trying to focus her mind on where she was. Kratos hissed her name again, urgently. She sat up, groaning as she bumped her head against the underside of the wagon.

"Ow."

"Shh!"

She opened her eyes, squinting in the dark at Kratos, who crouched at the end of the wagon peering in at her. Beside him was a large, familiar shape.

"Noishe?"

The creature wagged his tail, standing up and walking away. Anna scrambled from beneath the wagon, Kratos helping her to her feet as she stared unbelievingly at the creature before her.

"Where did he come from?"

"I told you he would find his way back," Kratos said softly. "Now, be quiet. We don't want to wake our guard."

Anna looked around quickly, eyes searching for their captors. Gentle snoring came from the wagon, though the cloth flaps were firmly closed. Around the fire were Alek and the other man they assumed to be his father. Bratha was slumped against a tree, clearly asleep. She looked back at Kratos, who had removed the ropes from his wrists and was working on cutting hers.

"How?"

Kratos looked up at her sharply, his eyes begging her to remain silent. Clamping her mouth shut she did as he asked, fighting the urge to shout with joy when the ropes fell free from her wrists. He led her to Noishe, urging her silently onto the creature's back.

As she climbed up Kratos ran quietly to where the horses were sleeping, removing their saddles and untying their ropes. He crossed to where the wagon stood and repeated the same for the oxen, further disabling their captors ability to give chase. Satisfied with this he stooped to pick up his sword, which laid entangled in the ties of one of the saddles, then sprinted back to where Noishe waited with Anna.

As he climbed onto the creatures back behind her Anna spared one last glance around the camp, everyone was still sleeping soundly. Then Kratos leaned past her, whispering to Noishe.

"Let's go."

* * *

_**A/N: For some reason writing has been rather difficult for me as of late. The ideas used to flow, and while they still do it seems difficult at best to pen them down. Perhaps I'm just overworked. n.n**_

_**Care to drop a review and share your thoughts?**_


	10. Chapter Ten: Reservations

_**A/N: Long, long time, yes? Well, with the encouragement of a few fans and fellow writers I've decided to apply myself and finish this one. It was always my intention to do so, but time constraints and other projects kept pushing it to the back.**_

_**Hopefully the story does not seem too disjointed - it was some work getting back into the characters' heads. All I can say is I hope it improves as time marches on! :)**_

_**

* * *

**_Anna fought back a yawn, twisting her fingers through Noishe's thick fur. She wasn't sure how long they had been running, but the promise of dawn was on the horizon. The dog-like creature gave no sign that he was weary, nor did the man sitting behind her. This irritated Anna to no end - how could they be so alert when every fiber of her being cried out in exhaustion?

She was afraid to sleep, to close her eyes would certainly mean falling from her perch. Aside from embarrassment she was certain that Kratos would lecture her about remaining alert. When would they ever stop?

As if hearing her silent cries Noishe began to slow, the breakneck sprint becoming a gentle jog. Behind her Kratos shifted and Anna turned her head to find the mercenary looking behind them.

"What are you looking for?"

Her voice sounded strange to her own ears after the silence of the past few hours. Kratos did not bother turning to face her as he replied. "I'm making sure we're not being followed."

"Followed?" Anna shook her head, yawning as Noishe came to a halt. "They were all asleep, and you loosed their horses and oxen. How would they follow us?"

The only answer she received was a soft snort as the man slid off Noishe's back. He patted the creature on the nose, looking up at Anna. "We'll go just a little further, then you can rest."

She nodded in reply, holding tight to Noishe as he began to pad after Kratos. The ground around them began to rise and they followed the slope in its accent. They passed through a grove where the trees were spaced widely apart. Birds chirped a morning song welcoming the day as small animals began to wake in their burrows. All of this was lost on Anna, who struggled to keep her eyes open.

The trees began to thin after a time, the sparkle of water shining through the trunks. Had they really come as far as the sea? Anna scarcely dared to hope, but her sight was fixed on the promise of water that lay ahead.

As they entered the clearing the body of water revealed itself to be a lake. Kratos paused on the verge, silently gazing around the lake before giving a small nod.

"This will do for now," he pronounced. "We'll set up camp here for the time."

Anna slid gratefully from Noishe's back, stumbling on legs that were suddenly clumsy.

"No fires," Kratos continued, slinging their pack on the ground and stalking off around the lake. "Stay here with Noishe."

Anna opened her mouth, intending to bitterly retort at being ordered around, only to yawn hugely. Exhaustion coursed through her and she turned to her canine companion, raising an eye. "Guess we should get some sleep while we can. No telling when His Highness will decide it's time to leave."

Noishe snorted softly, trotting to the edge of the lake to lap water. Grabbing the pack Anna looked around, finding a likely place to lie down beside some stunted bushes. Settling down with the pack under her head it wasn't long before she was asleep.

Kratos paused on the far side of the lake, looking back towards the place where Noishe sat keeping watch over Anna. The girl was curled up under some bushes near the edge of the water, her head on the pack he had dropped.

Biting back a snort of irritation he continued on around the lake. Why should he care if she used the pack for a pillow and squashed the bread flat? He wouldn't be eating it anyway.

She was naïve and reckless, a dangerous combination on an already dangerous journey. What he was thinking dragging her along he still didn't know, but there were no other suitable options. Anna would be in danger no matter where she was so it only made sense to keep her close.

Drawing his sword he swung it carelessly at a stand of tall weeds, lopping them off. Something about this place was bothering him, making him terribly uneasy. He paused at the edge of the water, staring at the calm surface on which a perfect reflection of the sky rested. All was still - the water, the wind, the very sound that had previously permeated the air.

Kratos looked up sharply, his eyes flicking towards the spot where Noishe sat. His companion gave no sign of distress, showed no hint of the uneasiness that Kratos felt. Kicking at the loose soil he turned to follow the shore back to their makeshift camp.

As he followed the shoreline he scrutinized his surroundings, wariness growing. He had not gone far when he came across an overgrown clearing. To any other observer it would seem to be nothing, a small, empty space with trees on three sides facing the lake. Kratos felt as if electricity were running through his veins as his eyes traveled over the tall grasses and ancient trees.

Off to the far side there had been a fallen tree that had provided a place to sit other than the ground. Over there they had found a slight dip in the ground and dug a fire pit. They had been running low on supplies, so they had been forced to forage for their dinner. He had hunted in these trees, while the others had set up camp or gathered berries. Someone had found a pear tree bearing overripe fruit. They had ate like kings and queens, then there had been story-telling, music and laughter that slowly turned into stern admonishments to go to sleep.

With a shudder Kratos forced himself to move away from the place, shaking his head to dislodge the memories. The echoes of panpipes seemed to follow him, haunting his footsteps. As soon as Anna woke they would leave this place.

The last rays of the sun's light were kissing the horizon when Anna finally woke. Her stomach rumbled, demanding sustenance and she turned her attention to the bag that had served as her pillow. There was not much there; a bit of bread, some cheese, an apple and half a flagon of water.

She pulled out the apple, there were a few soft spots however she disregarded these and bit into the fruit. Sweet juice trickled down her chin and she wiped it away with a sleeve as she chewed, relishing the sweet and tart flavors that mixed in her mouth. Looking around she found Noishe and Kratos standing at the edge of the water, staring across the lake to the opposite shore. Following their gaze Anna tried to see what had caught their interest. It seemed to her a clearing like any other, overgrown with tall grasses and devoid of trees.

Polishing off the apple she stood, stretching the stiffness out of her arms and legs. Noishe turned his head, glancing her way before turning back to nudge Kratos' hand. The mercenary looked down at the dog, then back towards her. Anna froze as his eyes met hers.

Before his eyes had always been focused, determined and certain. Anna had detested the hard, unnatural way his eyes looked. Now his eyes were hesitant and distracted; Anna was certain that she liked this look even less. As he turned back to look across the lake once more Anna walked down the shore.

She found herself incredibly grateful for the boots Kratos had the foresight to give her as she crunched across the rocky ground. Her slippers wouldn't have stood a chance against the stones and course terrain. If only they had remembered the package with the traveling clothes. While the gown was a great improvement on the rags she had worn it was still cumbersome and difficult to move in.

She paused at the edge of the lake, Noishe between her and Kratos, and looked across at the clearing. It appeared no different from this vantage point, just an isolated spot next to the lake. Taking a breath she turned to look at the man beside her.

"Is there something wrong?"

There was no answer.

_Well, that figures_, thought Anna. She decided to try another approach. "Do you think maybe it would be better if we moved the camp over there?"

"No, we're not staying."

Anna stared at him, "But the sun has set, it'll be dark soon."

"It will be easier for us to travel then," Kratos replied, still not looking at her.

"Won't it be dangerous?"

"Lingering here would be an even greater danger."

"Do you even know where we are?" Anna pressed, gazing at him intently. "I don't see what good it would do to go wandering around without any idea where we are or where we are headed."

"I know where we are," Kratos told her, finally turning to her. Anna was relieved to see the familiar focused look in his eyes.

"Where?"

He studied her a moment, as if determining if he should even bother telling her. This look infuriated Anna and she opened her mouth to say as much.

"Lake Umacy," he said, turning back to look across the water.

"Lake Umacy?" Anna echoed, looking back at the lake.

She had heard of this place, though she had never been here. It was a fair distance from Luin, the journey of a day or two. As a girl she had studied maps of Sylvarant under the guidance of Father Gregori and the other priests that passed through. She had loved to hear stories from travelers of the places she had studied on the maps.

A bitter taste filled her mouth at the thought of Father Gregori. She had trusted him, believed him, and he had betrayed not only her but all the people of Luin. And for what? What had he gained? What had he hoped to gain?

Resentment filled her as she glared at the water, her vision clouded by anger. Her blood boiled with indignation and suddenly she gasped in pain. The exsphere on her hand throbbed, red-hot needles stabbed through her. The pain turned to agony and she found herself sitting on the ground, clutching at the offending hand, her vision obscured with tears.

_Oh Martel, what is happening to me?_ Anna thought as she screamed. The pain seemed to be intensifying and she was terrified. Her hand felt as if it were on fire and she remotely remembered being next to the water. Blindly she reached for the water, expecting to feel the cool relief at any moment. Again and again she reached out, desperate now, her fear slowly turning to panic.

"Anna, calm down."

"I can't!" she gasped. "I can't find the water!"

"You must calm down. You are aggravating your condition."

"But it's burning!" she cried. "Where is the water? I need to put out the fire!"

"Your hand is not on fire," Kratos' voice was calm. "The water is right here."

Her fingers brushed the water and she lunged forward, submerging her arm. She gasped at the shock of the cold, shaking in relief and exhaustion as the pain ebbed away and her vision cleared. The exsphere still throbbed, but not with such intensity. The pain was definitely more manageable now.

Turning her head she found Kratos beside her, studying her with a look of intense concentration. He had one arm wrapped around her waist, his other hand grasped her arm where he had thrust it into the lake. Anna swallowed hard, realizing what had happened. She had been paralyzed by the pain, unable to move. If it had not been for Kratos she would have been consumed completely by the pain… and then what? She shuddered at the thought, what little strength she had failing her completely.

"Don't start that again," Kratos warned, his eyes narrowing. "You are going to have to learn to control your emotions."

"W-what happened?" she breathed, staring at her hand as she withdrew it from the water. "Why did my hand start burning like that?"

"I'm not certain what initiated the reaction," Kratos replied, sitting her down on the ground. "Your exsphere seems to be reacting to intense emotional imbalances."

Anna stared at the gem, it seemed to pulse slightly, but it was difficult to tell in this light. The sun had set and only the a faint glow remained. "Why? What is going to happen?"

Kratos stared at her for a moment. It certainly wouldn't do to tell her that the little gemstone was feeding off her, slowly leeching her life force away. No, that would only cause her to panic once more and there was no guarantee dowsing her hand in the lake would immobilize the gem a second time.

"I… am not certain," he lied. "We must continue our journey and locate a dwarf to make a key crest for you. When we have acquired one the exsphere can be removed from your hand."

"Does your exsphere ever cause you pain like this?" Anna asked, looking up at him. Her eyes still swam with pain, and it was clear to see that she was completely exhausted from the ordeal.

"No, it does not," he replied softly, then added. "That is why we must obtain a key crest for you as soon as possible."

Anna nodded, then yawned. "Yes, the sooner the better."

Kratos turned towards Noishe, who had stood nearby watching. The creature gave him a long look, one that seemed to agree with Anna. Standing up he shook the dust from his fur, trotting over to join the two. Kratos patted the creature's shoulder, "Are you up to carrying her for awhile Noishe?"

"I can walk," Anna argued, making no move to stand. "Just let me rest for a moment and I'll be fine."

"Don't be ridiculous," Kratos frowned. "We can travel faster if you let Noishe carry you."

"I'm not helpless you know," Anna looked up at him, her jaw set stubbornly.

"I did not say you were," he replied. "But your misplaced sense of pride will only hinder us."

Anna looked down at her lap and Kratos mistakenly took this as a sign of concurrence. He opened mouth to speak, only to freeze as her head jerked up, her eyes blazing with an unfamiliar fire.

"I'm as proud as I am helpless," she growled, her eyes fixed on him penetratingly. "I may not know much, but I'm willing to learn. I know that I am not weak, I am not helpless, and I am certainly not _proud_. I am not some damsel in constant need of rescuing!"

Her voice softened a bit as she continued, "I know this is likely going to be a long and dangerous journey. The only way I can see us succeeding is to work together - and that means you have to _trust_ me. I don't want to be a burden."

Kratos stared at her, the only sign of his disturbance an almost imperceptible widening of his eyes. Clearing his throat and masking his face with a casual look of hauteur he spoke. "You are right, we _both_ need to learn to trust one another. I do not mistake you for being weak or helpless."

Anna's chin rose in triumph, her eyes gleaming, yet Kratos was not finished speaking.

"As you are eager to learn allow me to present your first lesson: heeding the advice given to you. The journey we make will indeed be long, and as you are currently weakened I strongly suggest you allow Noishe to carry you while you replenish your strength. This would aid our cause greatly."

It was now Anna's turn to look abashed. She made a great show of picking herself up off the ground and dusting off her ill-fitting dress. Holding her head high she made her way to Noishe's side, patting the canine on the shoulder and looking him in the eye. "So long as you don't mind Noishe?"

The creature shook his entire body, giving her a wide doggy grin that Anna took as ascent. Hiding her answering grin Anna took hold of Noishe's fur, pulling herself up onto his back. Looking away from Kratos she spoke flatly, "Are you ready to leave then?"

Suppressing a grimace Kratos bent to pick up the nearly empty pack, turning with a harrumph to stalk away from the clearing, Noishe following behind.

By the time the they had left behind the trees surrounding Lake Umacy darkness griped the land and a chill wind blew in from the east. They traveled directly into the wind, skirting around some low hills. Anna remained silent, blinking away tears from wind stung eyes. Closing them she held tight to Noishe and inhaled the stiff salty breeze. She could almost see the waves of the ocean, foaming white like the pictures in the books she had read. It was with a mixture of immense relief and sorrow when they turned, putting the wind at their backs as they traveled south and west.

Kratos kept a steady pace, grateful for the silence in which they traveled. Noishe padded just behind, keeping at his elbow in the easy companionship they had been accustomed to traveling in. He had put the hills between them and the road that traveled south. Between the dark and some degree of luck he hoped to avoid any more travelers, at least until they reached their destination.

If they kept to this pace they should soon reach a House of Salvation. While Kratos held little patience with the beliefs of the priests he knew they would not turn away the two travelers. Indeed, the priests would see it their duty, given to them by Martel, to provide shelter and protection to the two road-weary souls.

With a soft snort of contempt Kratos picked up his pace, Noishe easily matching it. Turning his head Kratos glanced back at Anna, who looked straight ahead, her lips pressed together in a thin line. Usually she was never silent and would be asking a thousand questions as to their destination and the course they were taking. While he was grateful for her silence he was also unnerved by it.

That she was angry there was little doubt. She would get over it, or spend the remainder of their journey in silence. Kratos had little preference for either option. Perhaps there was something he could do, a way to make her feel more useful. It would be a great advantage for him if she were able to at least defend herself.

He was brought out of his thoughts of strategies and techniques by Anna's voice. Turning his head he looked at her and she pointed to something ahead of them.

"That looks like a light," she repeated. "What should we do?"

Kratos paused, peering into the distance. The light Anna had spotted seemed stationary. It was soft and steady, a small point of light like that from a candle.

"We continue on," he announced after a moment. "I believe that is our destination."

"But what if it's a campfire? It could be those slavers."

"A campfire would be larger, flickering," Kratos replied. "That light is soft and steady, from a candle most likely."

Anna nodded, her eyes glued to the light, "So, what is our destination then?"

"A House of Salvation," Kratos' voice was low. "We should be safe enough there."

Without giving her pause for another question he hurried on, leaving Noishe to catch up with him. As they drew closer the light grew brighter and the rounded silhouette of a small chapel took shape. Approaching cautiously they made their way to the door, Anna slipping from Noishe's back. Kratos turned to his faithful companion, patting his nose.

"Best if you find yourself a place to lie low back along the path we came," he advised his friend. "We'll leave at first light. Wait for us just behind the chapel."

With a wag of his tail Noishe trotted off, disappearing into the shadows of the night. Turning back to Anna he gave a small nod and the girl fell in step behind him as they walked up to the door.

The door was unlocked, as was the custom of these small roadside chapels. A priest sat behind a small desk, a candle sitting before him as he poured over a thick tome. He looked up as Kratos and Anna entered, smiling softly.

"My children, come in for you must be weary," he greeted. "And the night is quite dark."

Kratos nodded his agreement. "Thank you. As you see it is just myself and the girl. We are looking for lodging for the night. Might you have a bed to spare?"

"Yes, yes, quite," the priest stood, coming forward. "Come, I'll show you to a room. It is not much, but it is warm and dry. You are welcome to join us in the morning for prayers at the alter before we break our fast. It is not much, for our lives are quite humble, but what we have we are blessed to share."

"We thank you kindly," Kratos murmured, looking around for Anna.

The girl was standing in the center of the room, staring towards the alter at the far end of the round room. The priest followed her gaze, stepping forward and smiling.

"Our alter," he explained. "You are welcome to offer your prayers."

"Perhaps in the morning," Kratos interrupted. "We have traveled far and are most weary."

"Of course, of course, quite," the priest smiled, turning back to him. He lead them across the room towards a small staircase. "If you will follow me I'll show you to a room."

* * *

_**Endnote: And that's all for this chapter… I've got a decent start on the next chapter, but I'll have to see how things go at work as to whether I will have much time this week to write. ;) Please feel free to leave a review!  
**_

_**And I would like to give a heads up to any of you with a deviantArt account: I am posting this story on dA first, with publication to FFnet coming a day or so later. You can look me up on dA if you wish - there is a link to my page in my profile I believe. If not just search for "Adbertos" and you are certain to find me.**_


	11. Chapter Eleven: Blame

_A/N: Lazy editing is lazy - or rather, nonexistent. I apologize in advance!_

Anna stirred in her sleep, scrunching her eyes shut and tugging the blanket to her chin. Lying completely still she willed herself to go back to sleep only to sigh heavily and sit up moments later. Her mind was cloudy with the fog of sleep filling her with confusion as she tried to recall how she came to be where she was, the previous night slowly resolving itself in her mind.

Blinking in the dull light that crept through the window she looked around the room and found herself alone. She frowned, yawning mightily as she pushed back the quilt. Kratos had said that he meant to leave at first light, so where was he? She found her boots and jammed her feet into them before crossing the sparse room to the small window that looked out towards the front of the dwelling.

A dirt road crossed before the House of Salvation, winding its way through wild hills covered in tussocks of grass and flowers. The sun was barely peeping on the horizon and in the soft glow of morning the colors of the world were muted. The world was still, holding its breath in anticipation of the dawn of a new day. Sudden movement caught her attention and she turned her gaze to spy Kratos rounding the building.

Anna frowned as she tried to imagine what he was doing. Perhaps he was going to find Noishe, or maybe he was making sure they had not been followed. She didn't imagine him to be gathering information for the journey ahead, for that he surely needn't look any farther than the priest downstairs.

Stretching she turned back to the room, a washstand stood nearby with a stack of clean towels and a jug of water. As she poured the water out into the basin she noted with some surprise that the water was still warm. Splashing her face and neck Anna scrubbed her face before wiping away the water with a fluffy towel.

Perhaps she had time to offer her prayers at the alter before breakfast, the priest had kindly offered and Anna sorely wished to commune with the Goddess. As she made her way down the narrow spiraling steps the smell of food assaulted her and set her mouth to watering. With an apologetic glance at the alter she followed her nose towards the source of the aroma. She found the priest from the previous night in a small alcove that served as a kitchen, stirring a kettle set over a fire.

"Ah, so you are awake, are you?" he greeted her with a smile. "Your friend went out early, so he did. No matter, he will soon return. Shall you take something to break your fast while you await him?"

"Please," Anna replied, unable to keep a smile from her face.

She glanced around to take in her surroundings. A fireplace took up most of the room, the bricks sooty black, the kettle hanging in the hearth matching. There was no table to speak of, but a small bit of shelve stood near the fireplace. At the moment it held a large bowl and a small clay jar, a sturdy wash bucket sat on the ground beneath. On the other side of the room was a door and Anna found herself curious as to where it might lead.

She turned her attention back to the priest; he was a small man, plump and ruddy, extruding friendliness. He pointed behind her at a shelve above her head where stacks of wooden bowls were stored. "Here, bring a bowl and I'll see you well fed. It may not be much, but there is plenty for all."

Fetching a bowl she crossed the small room to receive her portion from the kettle. The priest filled the dish with a ladle of thick porridge, topping it with a handful of apple slices from the large bowl and a drizzle of honey from the clay jar. "There now, we have some cream if you care for any. And some cold milk as well. There is an chest to keep them cool just outside the door there."

"Thank you," Anna smiled. "Your generosity surely pleases Martel who watches over us. I shall offer a prayer to her that you may continue to be blessed with the ability to offer comfort to us all."

"Yes, yes, quite," the little priest smiled softly, his face flushed.

Anna found a small cup and left through the small door across the room. She stepped out behind the House of Salvation, well hidden from the road. The chest the priest had spoke of sat in the shadows of the building, two glass jars within full of ice cold milk and cream.

It was quiet here, and peaceful, something she had experienced precious little of as late. She settled down to eat with her back against the building, spooning down porridge with bits of apple and cream. Somewhere beyond the House of Salvation birds began their morning songs, heralding the new day. The sun warmed the hillsides and small animals began to stir.

She quickly finished the porridge and returned the bowl to the kitchen before retreating to the large, airy room where the alter stood. The sanctuary took up most of the House of Salvation, the alter set back against the far curve of the room. She approached slowly, her eyes focused on the statue of Spiritua.

The image of Spiritua was cast in gold, glowing as the rays of the morning sun streamed through the windows. The very air around the alter was bathed in a golden light, motes of dust glittering like crystals. Anna knelt to pray, bowing her head to her clasped hands. The silence was intimidating and she felt it would be sacrilege to break it so she mouthed the words of her prayers knowing Martel would hear her heart.

Kratos moved fluidly through the movements his old sword master had taught him long, long ago. He was restless, ready to move on but knowing that he couldn't - not yet. He advanced on an imaginary enemy, retreated, then pressed the attack again. The movements were as familiar to him as breathing and required as much effort.

Noishe lay nearby, watching silently with his head on his paws. The creature's eyes followed the sword as it cut the air with an intelligence other canines didn't possess. He yawned, shaking his head roughly and looking back towards the House of Salvation.

Kratos paused, following Noishe's gaze, "We'll leave this place soon enough, but it will go easier for us if Anna is well rested. The path ahead of us is not the one I had plotted."

And that was the crux of it, all his well-laid plans had been torn asunder. When he and Noishe had begun their journey Kratos had not figured a human into their plans. He snorted impatiently as he took up his exercises once more. In truth his plans had not be as well-laid as he would like to imagine; he had left with scarcely a thought in his head but to run as far as he could.

He swung harder than he had intended, the force of the movement forcing him to move his foot out of the stance he held. Burgundy eyes narrowed in irritation, he was letting his emotions make him reckless and that wouldn't do. He who prided himself on remaining cool and calm in the midst of battle was loosing his control over… over what?

He sheathed his sword, looking back towards the House of Salvation. He would have liked to lay all his irritation at the feet of the child that waited back there, yet that was neither noble nor entirely accurate. He had been irritated long before he came across Anna. Likely long before the child had been born.

Noishe was studying him intently, his head raised and his ears pricked forward. Dark eyes glittered knowingly, both comforting and irksome. No, Kratos admitted to himself, Anna was not the source of his disquiet, only another challenge along the path he had chosen.

"We'll head for Asgard," Kratos told his companion. "We are not far and should be able to acquire supplies there, and news. The dwarf they spoke of in Luin could be gone by now."

Noishe yawned again, returning his head to his paws and studying Kratos with bright eyes.

"Depending on what we learn it might be best if we cross Hakonesia Peak," Kratos continued, ignoring the look Noishe was giving him.

A deep sigh came from his companion, tinged with exasperation to Kratos' ears. He fixed Noishe with a pointed gaze, meeting the canine's discerning stare. Sometimes Kratos felt as if Noishe knew him better than he knew himself. At the moment the look his longtime companion gave him was both perceptive and teasing.

"What would you have me do?" he asked, shaking his head and turning his gaze to their surroundings. "I've broken my oath and deserted my station. I infiltrated one of the ranches and escaped with a high value prisoner. There can be no forgiveness for what I've done, nor do I desire it; neither of us can go back now."

Noishe stood, shaking the dust from his fur and padded to Kratos' side. He whined softly, licking the man's hand and pressing against his side. Kratos smiled softly, stroking the creature's head and scratching behind his oversized ears.

"Whatever it is that we started out to do is behind us now," Kratos muttered under his breath. "Now we have a new objective and a new purpose."

Noishe seemed content with that response and turned towards the House of Salvation. He paused after a few steps to look back at Kratos, his eyes beckoning him to follow. With a final look towards the distant hills Kratos pursued his friend, slowly walking along the rocky trail that led back towards the road.

The sun was fully risen by the time the two returned to the House of Salvation, promising an uncomfortably warm day. Noishe paused at the back of the building, leaving Kratos to walk around to the front alone. It was for the best, as the small yard at the entrance to the sanctuary was full of travelers.

His eyes swept over the people milling about; an older man stood near the road with his dog talking to two young men. A wagon was near the door, an exhausted ox in its shafts. Voices were coming from inside, hushed in reverence.

_Travelers on pilgrimage_, Kratos thought as he entered the sanctuary. _Likely they have come across the Peak. It might be wise if we lay low until sundown, then leave quietly through the back door_.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim light he glanced towards the alter, making note of the number of travelers who had stopped to rest. A young woman was speaking to the priest that had welcomed them the previous night while two others knelt before the golden statue of Spiritua. He let his gaze pass over them, his eyes narrowing in contempt at their feeble faith. He spied another group near the base of the stairs and turned his attention to them.

Anna was among them, a fact that irritated him to no end. Why couldn't she listen to him for once and stay in the room like he had asked? Did she not realize the danger of mingling with these strangers?

His inner turmoil came to a crashing halt as he noticed her face. She looked troubled and her face fell even more when she caught sight of him. His attention immediately shifted to her companions, eyes widening with recognition and alarm as he hurried across the room, pulling Anna from amongst their midst.

"Kratos, no, let me explain!" Anna tried to pull from his grip, grasping at his arm as he attempted to draw his sword. "You don't understand!"

"I understand enough," he growled, pushing her behind him. "These people would sooner see you sold to the Desians."

"No, no!" the little priest came hurrying over, waving his hands in despair. "Please, you mustn't fight here! This is a House of Salvation - no place for swords."

"We have no wish to fight," the old woman said, her voice calm. "I give my word, in the presence of this good Father in Martel's own house. We are not here to reclaim you."

"You sang a different tune two days past," Kratos growled, his eyes darting from face to face. The old woman they had called Boss stood before him with a calm air of authority; beside her were Bratha and the other man. The boy and his mother had been kneeling in prayer at the alter, but now they both looked up in alarm.

Anna touched his arm, looking up at him beseechingly. "Please, let me explain. They aren't bad people."

Kratos narrowed his eyes. "I know you wish to see the best in everyone, but these people sell their own kind to the Desians."

"Their story is not so very different than yours," Anna said softly, one brow arched pointedly. "Please, hear them out before you cast judgment against them."

Kratos studied her closely, then turned to the group of slavers. "I suppose that is your wagon out front?"

"Yeah," Bratha answered sullenly. "Thanks to you we're down to the one ox. Horses were long fled along with the other one."

"Enough of that Bratha," Boss replied, fixing him with a firm look. "I won't hear any more of it."

"Yes Boss," he muttered, still shooting daggers at Kratos.

Kratos glanced down at Anna, her eyes still pleading, then up at the anxious priest who still hovered nearby. "Father, if you would allow us the use of your rooms above and see that we are not disturbed?"

"Yes, yes, quite," the little man nodded. "But I will have no bloodshed in this House of Salvation. All are welcome to sanctuary here, regardless of their crimes."

Anna followed Kratos nervously, the slavers climbing the stairs ahead of them. She had known the conclusion Kratos would jump to upon finding her in their midst, yet she had hoped for a better reaction. She really couldn't blame him seeing that quite recently they had been attacked and held prisoner by the very people she was begging him to give a chance.

Kratos ascended just ahead of her, tensed for a betrayal Anna was sure would never come. His hand hovered over the hilt of his sword as his eyes drilled into the backs of the older woman and the two men. The boy and his mother seemed to shrink into the shadows ahead of the others, attracting nothing more than an occasional suspicious glance from the swordsman.

Anna sighed softly, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. In truth she had been terrified when the group had first entered the House of Salvation. It had been the mother and her son who had happened upon her at the alter, the other woman's eyes growing wide with shock as the boy cried out in surprise.

Anna's first instinct had been to run, which she had - right into Bratha. The memory of the large man's intense glare - some strange combination of anger, surprise and delight - made her shiver. She looked up the stairs to where Bratha disappeared on the landing; the large man still made her uneasy.

Kratos waiting at the top of the stairway, looking down at her in exasperation. The others had disappeared into the room off the landing leaving the two of them alone for a moment.

"This is foolishness, I hope you realize that," he muttered. "I want you to sit as close to the door as possible. If I tell you to run then you will run. Noishe is waiting out back, he'll see you safely away from here."

"Kratos, it's not like that," Anna sighed heavily. "They were forced into this, it isn't a choice they made."

"Everyone has a choice Anna."

With those words he entered the room and Anna followed. A small table and four chairs sat on one side of the room. Kratos had taken a seat and waved Anna to the chair beside him, nearest the door. The mother and the boy sat on the bed, Bratha pacing in front of them. Boss and the other man sat in the chair across from them.

"Well then," Boss said, eyes darting around the room. "I suppose first thing we ought to get clear is this: we didn't come all this way tracking you. Your girl there surprised us when we turned up here."

"You expect me to believe you?" Kratos said with narrowed eyes. "Your word is worthless to me."

"We're wasting our time here Boss," Bratha complained, his eyes burning with irritation. "Ain't none of their business what we do or why we do it."

"We owe them an explanation brother, if we would ask them questions," the other man said calmly, his eyes focused on Anna.

"Don't owe them a thing Bronn," Bratha grumbled, resuming his pacing.

"You'll forgive my sons," Boss said wearily, meeting Kratos' gaze levelly. "This trade has made Bratha a bit testy; it doesn't suit any of us in truth."

"If you are loathe to practice the trade there can be nothing to stop you from quitting it," Kratos replied without a hint of remorse.

"I'm finding this all a bit confusing," Anna interrupted, glancing from face to face. "I know he is Bratha, and you are Bronn," she nodded to the man seated next to Boss. "But I'm unsure of the rest of your names. I'm Anna, and this is Kratos."

"Anna!" Kratos turned towards her, disapproval heavy in his eyes.

"Wise child," Boss smirked. "They call me Boss, but I was given the name of Maege by my parents. These two here are my sons, Bratha and Bronn. The woman is Elise, Bronn's wife, and the boy's called Alek, their son."

"So Maege," Anna started. "You said before that you did not chose this way of life, that you had to because of the Desians."

"That is so," Maege nodded. "Used to be we were wanderers, gypsies of a sort. We roamed from place to place, giving little shows and trading. For countless generations our family has traveled thus. Easy days of music and laughter, friends and a warm welcome where ever we might go."

"If you had such a life how did the Desians make you slavers?"

Anna's question hung in the air, seeming to swell in the silence. Maege looked down at her hands, her forehead creased. Bratha cursed under his breath, hitting the dresser with the side of his fist. Alek chewed his lip, watching his mother, who had locked gazes with Bronn. Elise gave a small nod, turning her attention to Alek as Bronn turned back to those at the table.

"Perhaps if we start back at the beginning," the man started, looking up at Anna. "Several years ago we were traveling along this very road, heading towards Luin and Hima for trading. Our wagon was full of wonderful things from Palmacosta and we had already had great luck in Asgard."

"That's where I got my horse," Bratha interrupted. "The one you two chased off. He was the best horse I've ever had. Those people in Asgard practically gave him to me for some dusty old books."

Maege silenced her son with a look and Bronn continued, "We were only a day or so from Luin when we were attacked. To be fair the people in Asgard had warned us of the danger but we had never been bothered before. If I had it to do over we'd never gone, we'd have turned back towards Palmacosta."

"I take it the Desians offered you your lives and in exchange charged you with the task of bringing others to their deaths," Kratos snorted. "You would have been better off falling to their swords."

"We would never!" Bratha erupted. "If it had been that simple we'd have run far from them and never returned. We know how to disappear, go to ground."

"But it is a difficult thing when they ransom one of your children," Bronn hung his head. "They took her from us, telling us we could have her back if we brought them others."

Anna stared silently at Bronn, her skin crawling.

"We agreed," Maege took up the story. "The Desians told us they wanted strong humans; if we didn't bring them the right sort then they would keep the child. We went back to Asgard and asked for any men that would be willing to hire themselves out as guards for our little caravan. Three young ones jumped at the chance and we took them with us, handing them over to the Desians."

"We demanded my daughter back in exchange," Bronn said, his voice cracking. "They told us they would have to test the three we brought them, to see if they were the right sort they were looking for."

"They weren't," Anna breathed softly, looking from face to face. She stopped when she reached Bronn, holding his gaze. "Your daughter, what was she called?"

"We called her Maribelle."

'_Anna… run…'_

She stood suddenly, those in the room staring at her in confusion. Those last words echoed in her mind, memories clashing with the reality she faced. Kratos took her arm and pulled her back into her chair.

"You came from the ranch, didn't you?" Elise asked, staring hard at Anna. "The one they called the Asgard ranch?"

Anna opened her mouth, but no sound would come out. She stared at her lap, clasping her hands together.

"That is where I found her," Kratos answered, watching Anna closely. "She had escaped."

'_No_,' Anna thought. '_They caught me and you rescued me. But I was stupid so I ran away from you and they caught me again. You should have let them keep me_.

Elise had come to the table now, crouching in front of Anna. "Please tell me, did you know her? Did you happen to see our Maribelle?"

Anna stared at the woman; everything felt so surreal. How could this be happening? What were the chances?

"Anna?"

She looked up to find Kratos staring at her with concern, or perhaps it was confusion. It was difficult to say. She looked back at Elise, who watched her with pleading eyes full of hope. The words she had to speak would forever shatter that hope.

"I knew her," Anna said softly, looking down at her hands.

"Oh, thank goodness," Elise breathed. "Was she well? Do you think we could free her? If you escaped there must be a way-"

"No," Anna interrupted, her eyes filled with tears. The relief on Elise's face quickly melted, turning to disbelieving horror. "It's all my fault. I'm so sorry. If it weren't for me…."

"What are you saying?" Bratha breathed menacingly. "What happened to the girl? Where is she?"

Anna looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I killed her."

_Endnote: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! _


	12. Chapter Twelve: Recovery

_A/N: At long last I've completed chapter 12! I would have had this posted hours ago, but as soon as I had typed that last name my mother arrived and I got caught up in prepping okra and making homemade banana pudding. XD If I could I'd give you all a huge bowlful - I made way too much!This chapter was a serious labor of love. I scrapped the entire thing twice, cursed the words for not flowing like I wanted them to, and finally arrived at this. There are parts I'm incredibly pleased with - to the point of bursting. I do hope it was worth the wait!_

* * *

The sun slowly melted into the horizon, blazing through the glass panes of the inn's windows. Kratos narrowed his eyes against the blinding glare as he stared out at the city of Asgard. The cliffs were awash in the gold and red of sunset, the buildings and paths built into them soaking up the last of the warmth from the sun to guard their occupants against the chill of night. Kratos stood still and silent as his thoughts drifted, not seeing the city of stone and air but the whitewashed walls of a small room. In his mind he was still back at the House of Salvation and Anna had just said those foolish words.

_I killed her._

As the words had left her mouth he had been able to do naught but stare in disbelief. Bratha had recovered first, a scowl on his red, angry face and a sword in his hand. The others had only stared in mute shock, their expressions numb and uncomprehending. Kratos had been exasperated, moving to place himself between the enraged Bratha and the girl who was convinced she was a murderess.

The thought was still ridiculous to Kratos, as many human reactions had become. Elise had been the first to recover her senses, pushing past Kratos and taking Anna's hands. The swordsman had felt no threat from the woman, only pain and confusion. She had sat at Anna's feet and gazed up at her.

"What do you mean you killed her?" she had asked. "Did you raise a sword against her?"

"No," Anna had mumbled.

"Did you give her to the Desians?"

"No."

"Then how were you responsible for her death?"

Anna had looked up then, her eyes meeting Elise's and moving around the room. "When I first tried to escape the ranch Maribelle followed me. I knew that if we were caught we would be killed but I let her come with me. I couldn't protect her and when the Desians found us I ran away and left her."

Elise nodded, looking at the floor and wiping her eyes. "You didn't kill her Anna, the Desians did. I'm sure that Maribelle wouldn't have wanted you to try and protect her; they would have only killed you as well."

"But if I'd made her stay behind-"

"Then she'd still be dead," Bronn spoke up. "She would have died either way. At least this way she died free, and her death bought your freedom. Because of her you survived. Because of her sacrifice you are free."

"But-"

"There is nothing more to say," Maege cut her off. "Bratha, put your sword away and stop acting like an idiot. You as well Kratos, none of us wish any harm to Anna. Maribelle gave her life that Anna might live and be free. We will honor Maribelle's sacrifice."

The memory was as strange to Kratos as the actual event had been. The slavers had denounced their trade there in that room above the House of Salvation. With the knowledge that Maribelle was gone Maege had determined there was no longer any reason for them to continue to work with the Desians.

"There is nothing to be gained from that path," she had said. "We will return to Asgard."

Anna had been delighted, informing them that they were heading to Asgard as well. Kratos had not liked that but the damage had been done. Elise had invited them to travel with them; Maege had insisted. The old woman was stubborn and used to getting her way so between her determination and Anna's enthusiasm Kratos had found himself agreeing to the traveling arrangements.

They had left that very morning, making slow progress with the oxcart that had more than doubled the duration of the journey. Kratos had not been pleased with that either, yet it had been he who had loosed the oxen and the horses thus he could only blame himself. He took turns with the other men relieving the remaining ox in the shafts, keeping guard during the night and protecting the little band along the road.

Bronn had proven an easy traveling companion, speaking only when necessary and working hard. Kratos found himself liking the man despite a determination to maintain indifference. To be sure Bronn had asked a few questions around the campfires at night, wondering at the management of the human ranches and the strength of numbers that held them.

Bratha was a different story. The younger man was bold and outspoken, often boasting of his own accomplishments and eager to prove his worth. It seemed to Kratos that the few words Bronn spoke were the ones left him by his brother. To be fair the man complained little, worked diligently and seemed to need little sleep, but all the same Kratos would be glad to part company with him.

Anna had fairly skipped along the way, delighted with the entire affair. When the ox pulled at the shafts she would sit in the back of the cart with Maege. The old matron was keen to learn everything Anna could recall about life inside the ranch. Other times she would walk along with Elise and Alek, talking and laughing. When they would stop for the evening Anna would help Elise cook and serve, cleaning up afterwards.

Elise had been a balm for the half-wild and frightened girl, something Kratos found himself immensely grateful for. The woman's calm influence seemed to have transformed Anna from a hysterical child to a more composed young woman. She was still fiercely headstrong but seemed to have better control over her emotions, slowing down the exsphere that fed from her life force and buying them precious time.

Kratos sighed as he turned away from the window and looked around the empty room. They had lingered here for two weeks, something that Kratos had deemed a necessary risk. He was determined to give Anna time to recover and build her strength but there was no denying the fact that they would soon need to be gone.

Bronn and Bratha would be returning from the mission they had been sent out on. The brothers had left Asgard not long after they arrived, setting out on two horses Maege had procured to 'scout the land'. Though little had been said at the time Kratos had known where the two men were going; dinner with Maege that evening had confirmed it.

"We will finish Maribelle's work," Maege had told them, nodding to Elise and Alek. "But we need your help. We need to know all you can tell us about this ranch so that we might help others escape as you did Anna."

With some feelings of trepidation Kratos had given the old woman as detailed an account of the ranch as he dared; Anna had been less reluctant. She had told them all she knew of the cells where the prisoners were kept and the yards where they worked, the number of guards at the gates and along the corridors. When furnished with ink and paper she had even made a crude map of the compound with some assistance from Kratos.

When Bronn and Bratha returned the former slavers would begin their new trade as rescuers. Maege was constantly hinting that Kratos and Anna would be welcome to join them but there was no question of doing so. They had their own journey and it did not include returning to the Asgard ranch.

"Do you really think so?" Anna's voice echoed from the hall and a moment later the doorknob turned. She and Elise swept into the room, Anna's eyes shining. "If they could rebuild Luin that would be wonderful!"

"It is certainly a possibility," Elise smiled serenely. "Luin is very close to the ranch and would be a good place to bring those we help escape."

"And one of the first places the Desians will look for their missing prisoners," Kratos cautioned, breaking into their conversation.

Elise nodded in agreement. "Yes, of course, which is why we would not rebuild Luin right away. As a desolated town it is ideal to hide those we smuggle out, but we'll have to wait and see what Bronn and Bratha have discovered first."

"I still think it is a wonderful idea," Anna insisted.

"Well, we will know more soon I hope," Elise replied. "I should check in with Alek and Maege. I'll meet you downstairs in a half hour?"

"Yes," Anna agreed as Elise left the room.

"Where are you going in a half hour?" Kratos asked, eyeing her curiously as she sat on the bed.

"A ceremony up on the dais," Anna answered, bouncing lightly on the mattress as she looked up at him. "Elise and I heard about it while we were out. The people of Asgard are going to launch lanterns into the night to honor their ancestors."

"I have heard about this tradition," Kratos watched her as she stood and crossed the room.

Anna stopped beside him, her eyes intense and her voice hushed. "There was a man in the shop that said they are also sending the lanterns off to light the way for the Chosen of Regeneration. Supposedly her group is very near."

Kratos shifted uncomfortably.

"I think it's wonderful," Anna said, looking out the window. "Look at all the people! I hope there is enough room at the dais. Do you really think the Chosen could be headed here?"

Kratos looked away, staring at the people heading for the stone alter. "Perhaps."

"The journey of regeneration," she said softly, her eyes focused on something beyond the crowds lining the paths. "To see the Chosen would be wonderful, wouldn't it? She must be very brave and strong and smart, I just know she'll succeed."

"It is a dangerous task, to regenerate the world," Kratos cautioned. "Many Chosens have failed."

"Not this one," Anna said, her eyes glinting fiercely. "Martel has surely blessed her. She'll save the world, I just know it."

"I hope so," Kratos replied.

"You should come with us," Anna said, looking up at him. "Maege and Alek will be coming."

Kratos watched her uneasily, "If you wish."

"Well come on then," she said, smiling and taking his hand. "We should get downstairs. They'll be waiting for us."

* * *

Anna stood in the doorway to the inn, staring around with wide eyes and a grin to match. Throngs of people were making their way along the paths, skirting around the chasm and up the inclines towards the stairway that led up to the stone alter. A brisk wind tugged at her skirt and tussled her hair, giving a slight chill to the night.

"Ready?" Elise asked, grinning at her as they melted into the crowd.

Alek bolted past them, shouting that he'd meet them later as he raced ahead. Elise sighed, staring after her son as Maege chuckled.

"Is it wise for him to go off alone in this crowd?" Kratos asked from behind them.

"Alek is capable of taking care of himself," Maege assured him. "He has been restless all day. A good run will do wonders for him."

"Have you seen them launch the lanterns before?" Anna asked, looking at the two women.

"A long time ago," Maege replied, a small smile tugging the corners of her mouth. "When Bronn was a young boy and Bratha younger still. We would stop here on our journey in time to watch the lanterns and see the maidens dance on the alter."

"Dance?" Anna looked at her, her brow furrowed and eyes alight with curiosity.

"It is said that the dancers call upon the Summon Spirit of the Wind to guide the lanterns and lead our ancestors safely home," Elise explained, looking up at the sky. "Many young girls volunteer every year with the hopes of being chosen for the Maiden Ritual."

Anna smiled, "You seem to know a lot about this Elise."

"She should," Maege chuckled. "She was born here."

"Yes," Elise smiled warmly. "Long ago I was one of those young girls hoping to be the maiden in the ritual."

"And were you?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm afraid I wasn't nearly graceful or poised enough. I did dance with the other girls every year though, when we would send off the lanterns."

They had reached the bottom of a broad stone staircase jammed with young and old alike ascending to the top. Anna stared at the smooth worn stone as they began to climb, marveling at the heat that still radiated beneath her feet and warmed her against the chill air. Gusts of wind played with the torches that were staked along the stairs to light their way, the firelight flickering in a feral dance.

The gentle mummer of the crowd grew as they climbed, slowly turning into a roar. Anna paused as they gained the top of the stairs, staring in wonder at the festival that surrounded her. Other people spilled around her as she stood in awe, unable to move as she took everything in. Stalls lined a narrow landing, decorated with paper chains and small lanterns. Wonderful smells wafted from that direction - cinnamon and spice, savory and sweet. Just ahead was another short staircase flanked by a wall of stone to either side. At the top of those stairs she could see an enormous slab of stone.

"Anna?" Elise's voice called from somewhere ahead of her. "Where are you?"

"Here!" Anna called back, standing on her toes and waving a hand above her head. She pushed through the crowd in the direction of Elise's voice, finding the woman at the foot of the smaller stair with Maege.

A look of relief passed over the woman's face and she grinned, "So, do you want to see the alter?"

"Yes!" Anna giggled, sprinting up the stairs. "Come on, I'll race you to the top!" Elise gave a breathless laugh, hurrying after her.

"Perhaps they aren't so very different than Alek after all," Maege gave a crooked smile as she slowly began the climb up after them. She glanced to the side, fixing her eye on the silent figure beside her. "You are very quiet tonight Kratos, more than usual. I am thinking you are making plans to leave us. Is this celebration to be our farewell?"

Kratos continued in silence for a moment, his eyes following Anna as she raced ahead of them. "You are more intuitive than I had credited you, but I believe we both knew this arrangement must soon end."

"Yes," Maege agreed, bowing her head. "We shall enjoy one another's company awhile longer, and then may Martel follow wherever you go."

Anna stopped before the alter, panting as she stared at the massive stone. It was roughly square, the four corners marked with tall square columns topped with statues of winged beings.

_Not angels_, Anna thought as she studied them. _Their wings aren't right._

The main slab of the alter was nearly as tall as she was but she could just see the surface if she stood on her toes. The fluttering light of the torches threw odd shadows across the stone, but she was sure there was some odd, circular design on the ruin.

A gaggle of girls far to her left caught her attention and she turned to watch them. The youngest was perhaps ten years old, the eldest nearly a woman grown. All were dressed identically in flowing crimson pants with a cream tunic trimmed in white and crimson. The tunic was belted around with a rope the color of rust and all wore a fringed half-apron. Upon their heads each wore an elaborate headdress of cream piped in crimson.

"Those are the dancers," Elise said, following her gaze. "They wear the costume of the Maiden Ritual."

"They're so beautiful," Anna said, still watching the girls as they shuffled amongst themselves.

"Just wait until they take the alter and begin their dance," Elise told her. "It isn't as intricate as the actual Maiden Ritual since there are so many of them, but it is just as beautiful."

"Elise? Anna?" Maege's voice called from behind them. "Come over here and get your lanterns."

"Come on," Elise grinned, taking Anna's hand. "Best do as she says."

They turned away from the girls, hurrying over to join Maege where she stood in line behind a table set up to the right of the alter. The wait was not long and soon each was armed with a small candle and a paper lantern.

"Let's find a spot and then we'll get our lanterns ready," Maege instructed. "Near one of the torches would be nice."

As they walked through the crowd searching for a likely spot Anna became aware that one of their number was missing. "Where is Kratos?"

"I sent him to find that grandson of mine," Maege replied. "Alek should have been waiting for us at the alter. Scamp is probably trading at the stalls."

Pushing through a group of students they found Kratos and Alek standing next to one of the torches lining the hillside.

"Perfect," Maege declared as she approached them. "You have found Alek and secured us an excellent site to launch the lanterns from."

"Alek, if you are going to launch a lantern you had best go and fetch one," Elise told her son. "The line isn't bad if you hurry."

"Yes ma'am!"

Maege dug through a pouch at her belt, pulling out a few brightly colored sticks of wax. "Not much left, but there should be enough to write our messages."

Elise took up a stick the color of sunset while the one Maege worked with was the same crimson the dancers wore. Anna watched them for a moment as they carefully marked the sides of their lanterns with names. _Susann, Marlin, Issak, Rakasia, Maribelle…_

Alek returned with his lantern and immediately set about decorating the sides with images of birds and flowers. "Maribelle loved birds," he mumbled under his breath. "This one is just for her."

Anna turned back to her lantern, staring at the crisp white rice paper. Who would her lantern guide? She closed her eyes, bowing her head in thought. There were so many names that came to mind. Maribelle, obviously, and the others who had died in the Asgard ranch. Her mother and all the people of Luin who had suffered at the hands of the Desians.

Tears swam in her eyes and she rubbed a sleeve across her face to clear them. Looking down at the sticks of wax she took up one the color of Lake Sinoa. With a glance at Alek's lantern she began to write the names of those she knew in Luin, forming each name into the shape of a wave. Exchanging the blue wax for a stick of green she began writing more names in the shapes of wide leaves that floated on the surface of her lake. To these she added names in the form of petals, dotting the water with pale pink water lilies.

She held the lantern out, examining her work. The names of all those she could recall in Luin and at the ranch were there, but one more remained. Reaching for a nub of yellow wax Anna carefully crafted a bright yellow bird in flight over her lake, its body formed from the name _Maribelle_.

"Here."

Anna looked up to find Kratos extending a candle. She climbed to her feet, holding the lantern steady while Kratos lit the fuel supply. Looking around she found that the torches had all been extinguished and the crowds were hushed. Maege and Elise stood next to her holding their lanterns, their faces glowing in the quivering light. Alek stood nearby, holding one side of his lantern while another child took the other. Turning her attention back to her own lantern she found Kratos watching her as he steadied the other side.

The lantern glowed between them, the paper crackling as it expanded with the heat contained within it. The fluttering firelight reminded her of that night not so long ago when they had first met, how he had watched her from across the fire.

Warmth flooded over her hands and through her body as she cast her eyes down at the lantern suspended between them, the weight gradually diminishing. Gasps of pleasure drew her attention away, towards other lanterns that were beginning to rise into the night sky. Her gaze followed them as they began to drift up on the breeze, a procession of lanterns following them.

Alek's sound of delight and Elise's mummer of contentment drew her attention back as her own lantern began to lift away. She watched as the rim of the lantern broke contact with her fingertips, hovering slightly as it began to ascend into the sky. Her gaze followed the glowing balloon as it drifted towards the other lanterns flying above, carried away on the breeze.

A river of light swam above the alter, filling the darkness with hope. Anna could feel tears filling her eyes once more as she watched the lights float away in silence. As the sky began to darken once more drums began to pound and the torches flared back to life. Elise grabbed her hand, whirling her towards the alter and pointing out the dancers taking their places.

Strings of lanterns had been strung between the four statues, lighting the alter and the dancers upon it. The girls formed up in rows of six, kneeling on the alter with bowed heads and clasped hands. The drums went silent and in unison they chanted a prayer, the crowd taking it up. Anna found herself joining silently, focusing on words that prayed for the spirits of the departed and wished fervently for the success of the Chosen.

As the words of the prayer came to an end the dancers looked up and the drums began to beat out a new rhythm. As one the girls came to their feet, displaying the promise of poise and grace Elise had given. They flowed with the drumbeat, tapping out the rhythm on the balls of their feet. Their shoes added to the percussive beat, the footwork almost too fast for Anna to follow.

Just as fascinating as the combination of steps were the complementing movements of the dancers arms and hands. Anna watched in amazement as the girls came together and grew apart in elaborate formations until those in the back rows stood at the front.

All around the crowd cheered appreciatively and Anna joined in the applause. With a wide smile she turned to Kratos, only to find he was no longer by her side. Her face falling she looked around, searching fruitlessly for him in the crowd.

"I'll be right back," she told Elise, yelling over the noise to be heard. Elise nodded vaguely, intent on the dancers, but Maege met her eye and Anna knew she understood.

Pushing through the crowd packed around the alter Anna started towards the stairs that led back down the hill. Almost everyone was watching the dancers so she encountered few others. She was almost to the steps when she caught sight of a tall form standing near the gentle slope of the hillside, hidden in the shadows.

"Kratos?"

He turned, the torches behind her illuminating his face. There was a strange look in his eyes, distant and almost sad.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, coming to his side. She looked out over the valley below, waiting on an answer that was not forthcoming. With a sigh she tried once more, "You've been awfully quiet."

She glanced up to find him studying her, still silent. "I know that we will have to leave soon," she said, "and I'm alright with that. I won't pretend I'm not sad, but I know we can not stay with Maege and Elise."

Kratos turned his gaze back out over the valley, "Perhaps you would be safer with them."

Anna looked up sharply, her eyes narrowing. "Why would you say such a thing? They're going back to Luin, to the ranch."

"I imagine if you were to remain in their company Elise would be content to stay here in Asgard with you."

"Don't you want me to go with you?" Anna asked, staring at him as she tried to read his face. Having no success she looked down at her bandaged hand. "How would I ever get rid of this thing if I stay behind?"

"So you wish to continue our journey?" Kratos asked, watching her carefully. "Do you realize how dangerous it will be? Perhaps Maege could hide you, keep you safe. So long as you are with me-"

"I'm in danger no matter what I choose," Anna interrupted, fire in her eyes that was not reflected torchlight. "If I stay here I don't stand a chance, but with you I know I will survive."

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because I will fight, and I'll have you with me."

They fell silent as they gazed out over the dark valley, Anna noticing a smudge of light on the horizon that had to be the drifting lanterns. They looked so small from here, so inconsequential. When they had floated away the lights had seemed full of hope, a beacon in the dark, but how could something so small change anything?

"Anna! Kratos!" Alek came running towards them, waving something in both hands. "Here, try this!"

Anna took one of the skewers the boy offered her, studying it carefully. "What is it?"

"It's really good," Alek promised her, pushing the other one into Kratos' hands. "Just try it!"

She brought the skewer to her nose, sniffing carefully before taking a hesitant nibble. A wash of spices and hint of something sweet flooded her mouth as grease dripped down her chin. Taking another bite she turned to Kratos, swallowing before she said, "It really is good. Where did you get this Alek?"

"At one of the stalls," the boy replied, grinning broadly. "You really like it?"

Anna nodded, quickly finishing off the savory grilled meat and vegetables. "It's delicious."

"Come on then," he said, grabbing her hand. "There's still more to try!"

Anna laughed, pulling away from him. "Go on, we'll catch up."

She watched as Alek ran off, glancing over his shoulder at them before he hurried down the short flight of stairs to where the stalls were. Anna turned to Kratos, who still had not touched the skewer.

"Come on," she smiled halfheartedly. "We might not have much longer, but we can at least enjoy the time we have left."

* * *

Kratos followed Anna as she skipped down the stairs to the landing below. Maege and Elise stood at the bottom, waiting for them. He was surprised at how quickly Anna banished her melancholy mood in favor of the excited frenzy of the festival. He watched her as she laughed with Elise, tried a bite of the fried cinnamon bread she was offered, teased Alek. This was a silly, empty-headed child not the stubborn, fierce woman who had challenged him moments before. The child could not survive the journey they had set out on.

"_I will fight… and I'll have you with me."_

Kratos closed his eyes and shook his head. It seemed cruel to drag her from this place where she was happy and secure. It was clear that Anna trusted Maege and Elise with her life, and oddly Kratos found that he did as well. He watched the easy laughter she shared with Elise, the respect and consideration she showed Maege, even the playful banter with Alek spoke volumes.

Alek ran up to one of the stalls, nodding eagerly to the vendor as he exchanged a few coins for a small bundle. The boy came sprinting back, sharing his bounty with the others. Kratos watched as Anna took a hesitant bite while the others continued on, her eyes growing wide as she chewed. Looking up she noticed the others ahead of her and rushed to catch up, words were exchanged and laughter floated back to him on the breeze.

With a sigh Kratos followed wordlessly, scanning the thinning crowd for hidden dangers. He found Maege waiting for him next to one of the torches, her gaze focused on a booth where Elise and Anna were exploring.

"Our time is running short," she said softly. "Perhaps we should be returning to the inn."

"Aw, it's still early! I'm not tired at all!" Alek complained as he sauntered up, yawning widely and severely damaging his case.

Maege turned to him knowingly. "I suppose we are lucky indeed. If you are not tired you'll have no issue with keeping watch for your father while the rest of us sleep."

"I didn't mean it like that," Alek replied sheepishly.

Kratos looked away from the pair, turning his gaze to Anna. "It appears most of the crowd has left. It would be kind of us to follow their example and let the merchants shut down their stalls so that they may return to their homes."

Alek renewed his complaints as Elise and Anna joined them. "I don't see why we can't stay a little longer," the boy cajoled, looking at Anna with wide, innocent eyes. "You're not tired, are you?"

Anna grinned, "Well, maybe a little. Your mom and I walked all over Asgard this morning and then spent the afternoon shopping. You were lucky to get to stay at the inn and rest."

Alek scuffed his boots in the dirt, kicking loose a few pebbles. "I guess so. Hey, wanna race back to the inn?"

Not waiting to see if anyone would take him up on the offer Alek took off towards the stairs, almost flying down the steep steps. Elise called out a warning, sighing with resignation at her reckless son. Maege chuckled under her breath as she followed Alek down the stairs.

"Not a chance of winning that race now," she called back over her shoulder.

Elise shook her head as she followed her husband's mother. "I think he gets more like Bratha every day. Bronn is never so reckless."

"Perhaps not now," Maege called back. "But he was a very impulsive child."

The sounds of their conversation dwindled as they descended further down the stairs, Anna and Kratos following after. As they left the hill and its bright torches behind the darkness seemed to enfold them like a thick blanket. Somewhere off to the left the chasm lurked, an unseen void in a sea of black.

Beside him Anna stumbled, falling towards him. Kratos caught her arm, steadying her as she regained her feet and her composure.

"Sorry," she murmured.

Kratos frowned as he studied the top of her head. "Are you alright?"

She nodded briskly. "I'm fine, I just don't like knowing the cliff is there where I can't see it."

_Heights,_ Kratos thought. _She's said before she doesn't like them._

Without a sound he moved to walk on Anna's other side, positioning himself between her and the cliff. They bore to the right, following a gentle slope away from the deep recess and up towards the inn. As they neared the number of lights grew to illuminate the path and draw weary travelers to the two-story dwelling.

A crowd had gathered outside the doors, most likely straggling festival-goers. The packed entry seemed surfeit with hidden dangers and Kratos found he did not like it at all. He edged Anna closer to Elise and Maege, following close behind the women as they slipped through the blockade of bodies and into the inn.

He repressed a sigh as they stood in the foyer, eyes scanning over the people packed around the tables. It appeared as though the end of the festival had sent the revelers in search of alternate venues - more specifically, the inns.

There were more people in the common room than Kratos would have thought possible, filling every inch of available space. Serving girls darted between the tables taking orders and serving drinks. Drunken laughter and loud conversations made the air seem to vibrate and the swordsman knew no one would be getting any sleep tonight.

Beside him Anna gazed about the room in wonder, her eyes shining as a no doubt terrible idea began to form. With narrowed eyes and a stern warning on the tip of his tongue he opened his mouth to speak, but Maege saved him the trouble.

"Drunken idiots," she pronounced with disgust, not bothering to veil her disdain as she studied the scene of chaos. "We should get to our rooms quickly. With any luck the innkeep will have them out of here shortly."

Kratos couldn't have agreed with her more, but one glance at the hungry look in the innkeeper's eyes made him doubt the man would be showing his guests the door anytime soon. He grabbed Anna by the arm, propelling her towards Elise as Maege began to carve a path to the stairway.

They had almost made it when a flash of color in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned his head, heart pounding as he searched for the source of his distraction and hoped he was only being paranoid. But there, a few tables to the right, sat a familiar figure with his back to the stairs.

Kratos turned back, the figure had not spotted him - yet. If they could get above stairs quickly they might remain unnoticed entirely. He pushed gently at Anna, trying to silently encourage her to move faster.

"Stop pushing! I'm going as fast as I can," Anna complained, turning to him with a scowl. The scowl disappeared as she looked at him, her eyes lighting up with worry. "Kratos? What's wrong?"

His name on her lips made him wince and he glanced over at the figure long enough to see him turn their direction. Behind Anna, Elise and Maege had paused, turning back to watch the pair.

"Kratos?"

Anna's head turned in the direction of the voice, her forehead creased and her eyes questioning. Before she could speak Kratos spun her around, pushing her towards Elise and Maege.

"Take her upstairs. Keep her there."

Maege nodded as Elise took Anna's hand, pulling her towards the stairs. Anna stared back at Kratos, confusion evident on her face. He closed his eyes, Anna's questioning gaze lingering behind his eyelids, before turning to face the inevitable. The blue-haired figure stood watching with a curiously amused look that Kratos did not like.

"Yuan."

* * *

_Endnote: I might just have a special treat for you - another (albeit shorter) chapter posted within the week! No promises, but I'm going to try since I'm officially on vacation! ...better start hoping my family decides to leave me alone so I can write!_


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Breakout

_A/N : It's a miracle! Two chapters in one week! _*\o/*

* * *

Kratos' gaze never left the half-elf sitting across from him, eyes narrowed in suspicion and tensed for a fight. On the other side of the table Yuan busied himself with a cup of tea, slowly adding cream and sugar without once looking up. At last satisfied with the concoction he looked up, his face an unreadable mask.

"This is the last place I expected to find you."

Kratos pondered this before replying, "Is that why you are here? To locate me?"

"Hm? Oh no, not at all," the half-elf smirked. "Of course I'm bound by duty to remind you of your place and implore you to return at once. I suppose I needn't tell you how… upset you've made him."

Kratos stared silently, shifting slightly in his seat so as to better draw his sword if need be.

"Would you just relax?" Yuan chided, looking disgusted. "I'm not here to drag you back. Whatever it is you're playing at down here doesn't concern me."

"Then why are you here?"

Yuan let out an exasperated sigh, "Because someone has to babysit the Chosen."

_The rumors Anna had heard, about the Chosen heading towards Asgard…._

"You are traveling with the Chosen?"

"Not exactly," Yuan grimaced. "This girl is well protected by her priests so I'm only following. Scouting ahead, making sure there aren't any surprises lurking in wait. Which curiously leads me to you. What Iare/I you doing here Kratos?"

"Lighting lanterns to our ancestors."

Yuan laughed, a sharp sound of disbelief. "Alright. And the girl?"

Kratos tensed, "What girl?"

"Don't play coy, you know very well what girl," Yuan replied, a hint of a smirk returning. "The one you were herding like a lost lamb, the one who seemed so very concerned for you, the one you hid away upstairs. _That_ girl."

"None of your concern."

"Is that how it is?" Yuan sat back in his chair, studying the swordsman carefully. "There are rumors going around that you've stolen one of Kvar's pets."

"And if I have?"

Yuan shrugged, "Nothing to me, but I should warn you that there are also rumors that Kvar is putting together an elite team to track the two of you down. Apparently he misses his little pet."

Kratos gazed levelly at the half-elf.

"And speaking of pets, where is Noishe?"

"Noishe is not a pet."

Yuan sighed, "Well, if I were you I'd keep the girl close. Noishe too."

"Is that a threat?"

"No," Yuan said, his eye glittering strangely. "Merely a warning."

"And why would you warn me?"

The blue-haired man shook his head, twisting a ring on his finger. "No particular reason. Though you have little reason to believe me I have no interest in revealing your location."

"You're right," Kratos said, meeting Yuan's gaze as he looked up. "I don't believe you."

"As you will," Yuan sighed, shaking his head. "All the same, your secret is safe with me."

* * *

Anna paced the room like a caged animal, drawing worried looks from Elise where she sat calmly on the bed. She glanced over at Maege, who sat in a chair beside the door.

_Guarding the door is more like it. _Anna thought furiously._ How can they be so calm about this?_

"Anna, why don't you sit?" Elise suggested. "I'm sure everything is fine."

"If everything were fine why would he tell you to keep me up here?" Anna challenged.

"I do not know child," Maege replied. "But I trust that he has your best interest at heart."

She bit her lip, clenching her hand. _No_, she wanted to say. _He's only looking out for this blasted gem on my hand._ She sighed, ceasing her pacing, knowing that wasn't a very charitable thought.

They had promised to trust one another. If he had asked her to stay hidden there must be good reason, but the look in his eyes…. It hadn't been alarm exactly, but there was concern there, an anxiety that frightened her. It had been fleeting, quickly replaced with a blank gaze and orders for Maege to take her upstairs.

She had tried to drag her feet so that she could catch a better look at the blue-haired man who had called Kratos' name, but between Elise and Maege they had her above stairs in short order. Immediately she had begun speculating who the man was, but to that end neither Elise or Maege could offer any assistance. It made her all too aware of how little she knew and she felt foolish for promising to trust him.

With a huff she resumed her pacing, coming to an abrupt stop as the door behind her opened. Spinning around she was vaguely aware of Elise and Maege turning their attention towards the door. Kratos slipped into the room, his face an unreadable mask. Anna wanted to yell at him, hit him, make him tell her what was going on but all she could do was stare in mute apprehension. His eyes found hers and they stared at one another across the room until Maege cleared her throat.

"We should be returning to our rooms," the older woman said, getting up from her chair. "I'm sure the two of you have a lot to discuss."

"No," Kratos said, staying the woman. "I'd like you and Elise to remain here a moment. You might be able to help."

Anna felt her heart give a jolt, panic racing through her veins. Perhaps she didn't want to know after all, yet strangely she heard herself asking, "What's happened? Who was that?"

Kratos turned to her, "An old acquaintance with a warning."

"A warning?"

"Although it is not surprising, we are being pursued."

Elise gave a little gasp of surprise while Maege narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Those half-elves want her back, is that it?"

"I am certain you had already surmised that much," Kratos replied, looking at the woman. "And yes, Anna is rather… valuable to them."

"What can we do to help?" Elise ventured.

Kratos looked at Anna, holding her gaze. "We need to leave. Immediately."

* * *

"There are no guarantees that the Desians have not already blocked off the pass, but Hakonesia Peak would be your best bet."

Kratos looked up from the map, studying Maege carefully. The older woman seemed earnest enough and he did not sense any duplicity from her yet something still nagged at him. Perhaps it was only a matter of trust, a rusty sentiment he was not accustomed to relying on. Yet whether it was Anna's influence or the fact he was becoming too complacent he had decided to trust these women.

He turned his eyes back to the map, following the path Maege suggested. If they left soon they could be over the pass by morning, well on their way to the next destination.

"Of course you could always take your chances by backtracking," Maege continued. "I'm sure Bronn and Bratha will return soon. They would be able to tell you how the road looks."

"We don't have the luxury of waiting for their return," Kratos said. "The sooner we leave the better."

"You suspect your friend has informed the Desians of your whereabouts?" Maege asked, watching him closely.

Kratos narrowed his eyes, staring blankly at the map.

Maege sighed wearily. "I suppose it is pointless for me to say the both of you are welcome to stay with us. Perhaps there would be more safety in our numbers."

"Ridiculous," Kratos glanced up at her. "It would be far too-"

"Dangerous, I know," Maege replied, holding his stare. "And you think it won't be dangerous with only the two of you? Anna is earnest to be sure, but she is not an experienced traveler. All the burden will rest upon your shoulders Kratos."

The swordsman narrowed his eyes, disliking the woman's observations no matter how much truth they contained. "You and your family have your own destiny to follow. The path Anna follows does not lead back to the Asgard ranch."

"Alright then," Maege said, rolling up the map and handing it to him. "Each of us to our own destinies it shall be."

He took the map silently, something in the old woman's stare unnerving him. He couldn't be certain if it was concern that drove her, or something else. Mistrust still lurked in his mind, suspicion and caution honed by countless years of survival.

"You are a shrewd man Kratos," Maege continued after a moment, standing up and making her way to the door. "I do wish you success on your journey - both you and Anna. With a little luck I hope that we are able to at least slow down your pursuers."

"Thank you," Kratos replied, clenching the map.

Maege shook her head, "Elise and Anna should return soon. Wait ten minutes after they return and then go out the back. I'll have arranged for a little… distraction downstairs that should buy you time enough to leave unnoticed."

Kratos nodded, "Thank you again Maege, both you and Elise, for everything."

Maege looked him up and down, her eyes like flint. "You want to thank us, start by keeping that girl safe. Don't waste Maribelle's gift."

Kratos stared at the door after it shut behind the old woman. Perhaps she didn't completely trust him either.

* * *

Anna looked around the dark storefront, biting her lip as Elise pounded on the door. A small plaque hanging above the door showed a crude swirling line with the word _Whirlwind_ beneath. She pulled the hood of the cloak she wore close, eyes darting back along the empty path.

"_We are being pursued."_

Kratos' words rang in her ears as she searched the streets, every shadow becoming a danger. It was with relief when the lights inside the store began to flicker to life, footsteps approaching the door that Elise desperately battered. The sounds of locks and tumblers turning seemed deafening, but at last a face peered out from inside.

"Who's there? Can't you read? We're closed up!"

"Peter, it's me, Elise!" the woman hissed, pulling away her hood. "Please, I need your help."

The door opened, the man's eyes widening as he ushered them in, shutting and bolting the door behind them. Anna stood shivering beside Elise, feeling sick with terror. Perhaps she should have listened to Kratos when he urged her to remain at the inn, but she had been desperate to do something useful.

"What has happened?" Peter asked, approaching Elise and glancing at Anna. "Who is this?"

"A desperate soul," Elise replied, pulling out a small pouch and handing it to him. "Maege says to tell you she is calling in your debt."

Peter sighed, hefting the small pouch. "So be it. What do you need?"

The man walked off towards the counter in the back of the store, leaving Elise and Anna to follow. Anna grabbed Elise's arm, whispering fiercely, "Are you sure we can trust him?"

Elise looked back at her with gentle eyes. "When we leave here Peter never saw us."

Anna nodded, following Elise to the counter and listening quietly as the woman proceeded to rattle off a list of items. Her gaze traveled around the shop, taking in neat rows of shelves lined with bottles and bins. Along one wall were racks of cloaks, on another weaponry hung from pegs.

"_Pineapple gel?_" Peter asked incredulously. "Come on Elise! You're killing me!"

"Fine, then you can give me double the orange at half the cost," Elise bartered, earning a groan from Peter.

"Alright, alright," the storekeeper sighed, looking over the list he'd made. "You know where everything is. I'll get all this ready for you while you find your friend something to wear."

Anna looked up at that, "Oh, I'm fine, really."

"Nonsense," Elise said, pulling her towards the racks of clothing. "You can't very well go traipsing around in skirts and dresses."

* * *

Kratos sat facing the door to the room, honing his sword as he waited for Elise to return with Anna. The familiar, rhythmic routine sufficed to settle his mind. Waiting was one of the more difficult aspects he had learned, and at times it still did not suit him. Knowing Anna was walking the dark paths of Asgard did little to set him at ease, yet he was certain his movements were being monitored.

Yuan would have seen to that much at least. Hopefully he had not gotten a close look at Anna or the others and they would be able to move freely. He frowned as he passed the stone over the edge of his blade. Maege had mentioned some sort of distraction, he could only hope Yuan's informants would be taken in by the commotion so that he and Anna could slip away unnoticed.

A pair of light footsteps caught his attention and he looked up as the door swung inward, two cloaked figures hurrying inside. Elise pulled back her hood, closing the door behind her as she looked at Kratos.

"We don't have much time," she began.

"Maege said we had ten minutes."

Elise nodded, setting down the pack she carried. "There is food here, and some other items you might find useful."

"Did you have enough gald?" Kratos asked, studying the size of the pack.

"Don't worry about it," Elise brushed it off. "Peter is an old friend, and owed a favor besides."

"And you trust him to keep silent?"

"We were never there," Elise smiled softly.

Kratos looked up, eyes fixed on a strangely quiet Anna. She had not moved away from the door, still wrapped in the cloak with a somewhat smaller pack on her back. "You did not run into any trouble?"

"Not a soul," Elise answered, following his gaze to where Anna stood. "Oh, come on Anna, it's not that bad."

"What's not bad?" Kratos asked, looking between the two apprehensively.

"We found her some clothes that are better suited to travel," Elise said, walking over and taking Anna's hand.

"I'm dressed like a boy!" Anna hissed angrily, snatching her hand back. "I still don't see what was wrong with my other clothes."

Elise sighed, pulling down Anna's hood to reveal her flushed face. "You look fine Anna, and you'll be thankful for those clothes before long I'd wager."

Anna grumbled something unintelligible, slipping the pack from her shoulders and pulling the cloak from her shoulders. She thrust it towards Elise, but the woman shook her head with a slight smile.

"No, you keep it. You'll be thankful for that as well I'm sure," Elise said, turning to Kratos. "So, what do you think? Much better, am I right?"

Kratos had been staring at Anna, vaguely wondering how she could have imagined she looked anything like a boy. Elise had clad her in a pair of black boots that came up to her knees and a belted tunic and leggings ensemble. Anna pulled at the hem of the crimson tunic, obviously uncomfortable. She stared at him with a challenge in her eyes, as if daring him to say a word of dissent.

"It will serve."

* * *

Anna glared at Kratos, not sure what to make of his comment but sure that he was making fun of her. He might as well have agreed that she looked like a boy! Elise had a funny little smile on her face and looked at her knowingly, which only exasperated Anna more.

Before she could retort a loud blast shook the room, startling all the occupants. Kratos rushed to the window and peered out, his eyes narrowing. Elise stood beside him, the surprise fading and a knowing look settling her features.

"It's time."

Anna swallowed a sudden lump in her throat, looking wildly at the woman who had become her friend. She had been behaving so ghastly towards her and all Elise had done was try to help!

Kratos had sheathed his sword and was pulling on a cloak, settling the pack Elise had carried on his shoulders. Anna numbly followed his example, fumbling with the buttons on the cloak. Elise took her shaking hands from the closure and secured it, giving her a gentle smile as she helped slip the pack up her arms. Suddenly afraid Anna wrapped her arms around the woman, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I-"

"It's alright," Elise interrupted, pulling back and meeting her eye. She looked around at Kratos. "By the looks of it Alek is setting off his collection of fireworks. I'm not sure how long the pyrotechnics will keep everyone occupied, so you had better hurry."

Kratos peered out the window once more before turning to Anna. "Are you ready?"

Anna nodded, embracing Elise once more before turning to follow Kratos out the door. "Thank you."

"Be careful," Elise called after them. "Goddess willing we will meet again some day."

They left Elise at the top of the stairs, Anna letting Kratos lead the way. She glanced back one last time as they paused at the bottom but Elise had already turned away. Swallowing back a sigh Anna turned to find Kratos peering around the room.

"Through the door on the other side of the counter," he instructed softly, nodding towards their destination.

With a nod to indicate her understanding Anna left the stairs, hurrying towards the door and passing through. She exhaled shakily, not quite sure when she had forgotten to breathe. In the brief moment she was alone she glanced around the room, making note of the kitchen though the door to her right and a pair of closed doors on her left, then Kratos had joined her.

He pulled up the hood to his cloak as he led the way towards another door on the far side of the room. Anna followed, fumbling with her hood as Kratos carefully unbolted the heavy door and quietly swung it open on well oiled hinges. The cool night air rushed in and Anna shivered, not quite sure if she was cold or only nervous.

The path behind the inn was nothing more than a narrow trail chiseled from the rock, barely wide enough for them to pass single file. Kratos looked back at her, loosening his sword in its sheath. There were no need for words, Anna understood perfectly and Kratos nodded before turning back to the trail.

Anna looked back once more, the bright flashes of Alek's distraction lighting up the empty room beyond the doorway. It appeared that everyone was gathered in front of the inn, leaving the two of them to make their retreat unseen. She hurried after Kratos, pulling the door closed behind her.

In the empty room they had left behind a door opened, a figure stepping through to study the back door with interest. Yuan shook his head, an amused smile on his face as he turned away to join the others enjoying the show in front of the inn.

* * *

_Endnote: An interesting aside - that outfit Anna's wearing? As close to canon as I can guess. There is one - _one_ - blurry, half-seen image of Anna that I've used to piece together what she's wearing. Ridiculous amount of excitement on my part. _n.n


End file.
